Blood Bullet
by leo0821
Summary: Yugi wakes up not knowing where he is but knows something important, he's somehow being sold in some sort of human trafficking ring. The next thing he knows is he's being rescued by some detective and living in his giant of a house under his protection. But Yugi doesn't trust him or his partner, but his no nonsense white knight personality begins to chip at the armor Yugi wears.
1. Chapter 1

Blood Bullet Chapter 1 (I DO NOT OWN YUGIOH)

Yugi sat there horrified, why did these things always half to happen to him. He could hear the whispers around him and the horrid stench of too many sweaty bodies cramped together into one room. Someone banged against the metal bars of the cage he had been placed in, but Yugi had steeled himself against all their antics to try and get a rise out of him. He shifted, his shoulders hurt painfully from the strain of holding his weight off the ground began to take its toll. He imagined they were in an old warehouse or manufacturing house because of the smells of old grease and oil that added to the stench of sweat, and the fact that his chained hands were being held up by a large crane hook. He could barely make out the faint traces of lights through the blind fold over his eyes.

"Next up, we have a young man, don't let his looks fool you folks he is twenty-three, he's small for his age and childish looking but he has a feisty spirit, with his wild three colored hair and beautiful set of purple eyes. So he would be great fun for those that wanted to teach those under them to behave. We start the bidding at 1 million." A man said.

Oh why him, he had never had it easy in his life with his looks and quiet personality, he had been subjected to dozens of beating through his years in school, even when he was in collage they still didn't stop. And more than one occasion he had been forced to dress as a girl and was almost raped, but thankfully he had escaped from it. But after going through all that his body was scarred from the beatings and he had a very hard time trusting people. So he had took it upon himself to learn self-defense, he also thought it would be good if he ever went to a archeologist site in a hostile area, but none of his training had prepared him for this.

They had shot him with some sort of dart that had knocked him out, on his way back from the museum, he had been asked to come down and give his opinion on some translations that had been given to them. Yugi was headed for the hospital to see about his grandpa, he had been in an induced coma for over three months as the doctors tried to figure out what had started to happen to his grandfather's heart. They had told him there was a specialist in the next town but he didn't have the money to send him there so he did as best he could and slowly had been saving up for it.

The next thing he knew he had woken up here blind folded and chained up, waiting to be sold to the highest bidder. The sound of a gavel banged confirming that Yugi had just been sold to someone, annoyed with his helplessness Yugi waited until he heard the sounds of a blanket being thrown over his cage before he pulled himself painfully up, just enough to somehow rub off the blindfold. He was glad that thing was finally off and he stared hard at the shackles in the muffled light the blanket blocked, they were around his wrist but other than that the chain had been hooked threw. So Yugi began his work, he could reach the bars of the cage easily with his legs, glad that they had taken his shoes when they had changed him into what felt like a potato sack with wholes cut into it for his head and arms. This way he could easily grip with his toes.

Again Yugi began to pull himself up to start swinging so the momentum allowed him to carefully wrap his leg around a bar while he used the other leg to slowly shimmy his way up further. When he deemed himself far enough up he kicked off the bar while simultaneously lifting the chain up. It worked and the chain came off easily as he landed on his back with a hard thud, but he also gained the unwanted attention of the people guarding the cages. He found were the door was and waited for someone to stupidly look through the cage or stick a hand in to unlock it. Yugi was surprised at how tall the cage was and he had to jump a couple of times to finally hook his hand on the cages bar, his shoulders protested fiercely at the movement but he just ground his teeth together, he was not going to allow himself to be sold to some pervert, at least not without giving a damn good fight beforehand.

He started swinging again to get the momentum going until he could pull his legs up through the ceiling bars and hook them together, so he hung from the top of the cage like a bat. Someone lifted the edge of the blanket and then started to panic when he didn't see the prisoner inside of it. Yugi shook his head at the stupidity of the guard as he began to open the cage. But then again most guards were chosen for their bronze not their brains, he waited until the guard had passed the place he was hanging from before he quickly but quietly dropped to the ground, and slipped out the cage door letting it 'fall' closed behind him.

Carefully, Yugi began his search for a way out of that hell hole, but gratefully he came across his belongings first. Unfortunately he couldn't change into his clothes with his hands chained together but he still stuffed everything into the shoulder bag as he undid the shoulder strap then redid it weaving it threw his bound arms. But that small stop had cost him, he heard people begin to yell escape, as adrenaline spiked his blood Yugi fled, keeping to the shadows when he could and then running as fast as he could when there wasn't a place to hide. But it still didn't help him when he was yanked off the ground by a guard, Yugi struggled as more of the guards began to gather around him.

He threw a swift kick to the one holding him and liked the sound when he grunted and then dropped Yugi, who used his small size to his advantage, dodging around them like a fly then using his chained hands to trip one of the big oaf's before running off again. But unfortunately it wasn't toward an exit but back to the stage, he growled in frustration as he had backed himself into a corner. He began to search for an escape desperately and spotted a dimly lit exit sign. Yugi made a break for it, he heard the bang and then felt the impact as something tore through Yugi's shoulder but he felt no pain dew to his adrenaline spiked blood. Someone yelled out angrily as another impact hit him in the thigh, and his body began to feel numb from the highly effective sedative. Taking the chance the guards blocked his path to freedom.

One yanked him backward by the arm, and this time he did feel the pain, he yelled out and thrashed wildly feeling his elbow connect with something, most likely a nose as it gave under the force of his elbow. He was released and he moved on to the next one in his way, only this one clearly didn't care if he hurt Yugi. He pulled back for a punch and Yugi dropped to the floor to avoid it before he looped the chain around his wrist and used his feet to propel the man over and away from him. He forced himself up, he was almost to his goal, something thudded into him and he fell to the ground again and two men pinned him there. He thrashed wildly clawing, kicking, biting like a crazed animal anything to try and get away from them and to freedom.

"Enough you!" the actioner said and delivered a swift blow to Yugi's ribs forcing all the air from his lungs. "Thanks to your little stunt I have many injured men and some of them are my finest, and for that you will pay dearly for." The actioner said, he was fat and overweight and he smelled strongly of sex, the man was obviously taking in to many of the world's pleasures. Yugi thought as he glared up at the fat man, he wondered how a man with that face had gotten any women…or man to sleep with him, Yugi would be willing to bet anything that they weren't willing. With the red brown hair and balding look of a cat with mange, the stone grey eyes and the ugly and putrid scare running along his right cheek. "Take him back to his cage, and make sure he doesn't escape again." The man said as he left.

Yugi was NOT going back and he made damn sure the only way he was, was if he was unconscious, which was possible as the drugs began to work in his system. The two men pulled him up by his arms and Yugi thrashed even harder and finally got his teeth fastened into one of the man's arms, he bit hard enough until he tasted blood and the man finally released his hold on his arm. Which Yugi promptly dragged his nails across the other man's face but he held on firmer, and Yugi finally resorted to doing something he didn't wish to do to any man. He used all his force to kick the man straight in the crotch, and using his palm, punched him in the throat, the man's eyes rolled up into the back of his head and he promptly dropped like a ton of bricks to the floor. The door behind Yugi opened and someone yelled something before coming up behind him. Reacting purely on instinct and adrenaline he swung out, caching the unaware person in the gut. Someone with an iron grip seized Yugi's wrist before another blow hit the man and swept his feet out from under him as easily as if he had been kicking an empty cardboard box aside.

Yugi laid there stunned, he blinked a couple of times as the flashing lights and flashlights blinded his sight, it took a second before his brain finally caught up to his body. The man Yugi had hit was kneeling on the floor beside him, sucking in air or, at least trying to, he was wearing a vest that stated in big white letters that he was the police, a figure bent over Yugi and he stiffened instinctively. The bright lights form the police vehicles and flashlights making him appear to be nothing but a black silhouette.

"Relax, you're alright now," the figure said as he noticed the reaction and he reached into a back pocket to retrieve a leather booklet and showed him a badge declaring the man to be a detective, "I'm with the police, your safe now." Yugi's mind was beginning to grow fuzzy but he still scoffed at the thought, safe, when had he ever been safe from anyone in his life.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 (I DO NOT OWN YUGIOH)

The figure that had leaned over him patted the one Yugi had hit soothingly as he began to stand and get his air back again.

"Damn, the little guy has on hella of a punch." He said and continued to rub his stomach as it was still threatening to make his lunch reappear, and glared at the other figure as he began to laugh with that beep and authoritative voice. "I'm serious this guy's stronger than he looks, I swear I thought I was gonna lose my lunch after, still not sure I won't."

"Well that is impressive, considering how much you love your food. Now, why don't you help me get this kid up." He said. Yugi felt like he was lying in a state of purgatory, his body felt numb and he was sure it wasn't all from the drugs, he was pretty sure the adrenalin in his body had overpowered them. He felt no pain from his wounds and he felt cold, he thought the hands that placed themselves under his arms and lifted him were very warm and overly gentle.

"Yesh, these guys are hitting a new low if there startin' to take high school students." The one Yugi had punched, which he now noticed had blond hair said.

"I'm twenty three. I'm just short." Yugi said angrily as the words jump started his brain and body back into life, but it seemed to just make the blond burst out laughing unexpectedly.

"I thought you said you never had a brother, ya could be twins ya know that, he's even the same height as you and the way he scowls, it's just two similar." The blonde held his sore stomach in pain as he tried to unsuccessfully to stop the laughing.

"As a police officer, I give you permission to hit him if you want." The other figure that still stood in the glaring light making it unable to see his features, said. "I would do it but it would look bad, now if you did it on the other hand we could just blame it on confusion like before." Yugi's lips twitched into quick smile and he placed a hand on the blonds shoulder making him look up before he took out the blonds knees and he went crashing to the floor. Making the figure behind him start laughing and the blond stare angrily at the two of them.

Someone cleared a throat, "Detectives, we've taken four men into custody, three that were already incapacitated and one that was trapped in a cage. Besides this youth there was no one in the building." a female officer said, reporting her findings.

Yugi glared at the term youth but didn't have the energy to correct her, his mind was stuck on the fact he was the only one out of all those people to have been rescued and his heart went out to those that had been auctioned off.

"I see, that's too bad, did you by any chance find any sets of keys, so we can get theses shackles off of him." The man he had yet to see pointed to him, he hoped but was disappointed as the woman shook her head. "I see, well let's get you down to the station to take your statement." He placed his hand heavily on Yugi's left shoulder, Yugi body tensed as he hissed out a breath and his eyes rolled into the back of his head as his body buckled under the pain that shot threw him.

He wasn't out for long he decided as he was helped back up off the ground. "Good job, you're supposed ta help the victims not hurt them." The blond accused.

"Well, how was I supposed to tell if he was injured with that potato sack on, it was too dark in there to see the blood stains. Though I'm pretty sure that at least half of it isn't his, and I don't even see a wound."

"Well we know it's on his left shoulder so don't go touchin' it." The other man held his hands up to reassure he wasn't touching Yugi. Yugi was getting feed up with being touched and shook off their help, he didn't need it anyways.

"Well we should get you back to the station they'll have a doctor there to look at it, do you think you can wait till then?" Yugi nodded and finally walked out that door head held high and into the glaring lights of the many cop cars.

"I don't care how tough ya are, it's not normal to be actin' that calm and relaxed after just escapin' human traficin'." His blonde partner said quietly to him, and he couldn't help but agree, he had noticed it as soon as he saw the guys eyes when he struck his partner, there was something dark in them. They hurried to catch up to him and take him to the station.

Half way to the station Yugi finally cared enough to ask the two there names.

"I'm Detective Joseph Wheeler, but I prefer to go by Joey, and this is my partner Detective Senna." He pointed to the other man that for the first time Yugi could finally see, he had been surprised at how very similar they looked to each other, though the detective had crimson eyes and more blond in his hair, he didn't have Yugi's childlike features, his were more sharp and defined. Joey waited for their passenger to give his name but he just went back to staring out of the widow, holding a hand gingerly to his injured shoulder. With a sigh Joey gave up and looked concerning at his partner.

The two detectives lead Yugi to a side room were a doctor was waiting, they introduced him and left to wait outside and prepare to take his statement.

"So it seems you've had an adventure and a half today. Let's get these shackles off first shall we, then will tend to your other wounds." The doctor said, he was an older man with round glasses and salt and pepper hair. He set Yugi's wrist on the table and he pulled out a set of lock picks and began to work on them, Yugi noticed the Doctor had very gentle hands and soon he had coxed the shackles open. Yugi rubbed the raw and cut skin beneath the chains.

"Now that those are off why don't we see to your wounds, I was told you have one of concern on left shoulder, can you dress down or would it be easier to just cut the thing off?" the doctor asked, Yugi stood and pulled the sack over his head gritting his teeth against the pain it instilled within him. "My, that's a nasty bullet wound, I don't see any exit wound so that means it's still in there, that's why it's not bleeding too much. We're gonna need to pull it out, it's gonna be painful unfortunately, so brace yourself." The doctor took a pair of sterilized tweezers and stuck them into his skin, Yugi made a fist at the pain and bit his lower lip to keep him from crying out. He counted the seconds until the doc had pulled the bullet out of his shoulder and dropped it into a dish. With the absence of the bullet blocking the wound, blood began to pool out of it, and surprise to Yugi it felt much better after. The doctor placed a gazed pad to it then began to wrap thick white bandages around his torso to hold it in place.

"I guess you could thank the thickness of potato sacks, it absorbed most of the blood from the man's nose you broke, so you don't have much on you. But there is a sink over there you could clean yourself up if you want, then apply this to the cuts on your wrists." The doctor handed him a little tube of salve. "Once you're dressed and ready you can come out and the detectives will take your statement."

"Can I keep the bullet?" Yugi asked as he moved over to the sink.

The doctor paused at the strange request, "If you really want it, I can have it returned to you after it has been cleaned and processed for evidence." Yugi nodded his thanks and the doctor left. The two detectives were waiting, leaning against a desk and talking quietly to each other.

"So how is he?" Detective Senna asked.

"He'll be find, he had a quite a bit of the sedative in his blood stream but most of it had worked itself out of his system because of the adrenaline. He was a bit scratched up from the shackles but the worst of the wounds was that he was shot in the shoulder." He rattled the bloody bullet in enfaces. "But that's not what worries me, I had to dig this bullet out of his shoulder and he didn't make a sound, didn't even move, not only that his body is covered with scars." The doctor shrugged his shoulders in exasperation before he left to process the bullet.

"Dat's not normal." Joey said as the doc left and Yugi came out in his own cloths that he had stolen back from those creeps. Detective Senna had to agree to that, but he ignored it and went over to him.

"So I hear you were shot, sorry about earlier." Yugi shrugged he didn't really care. "Anyway we have everything set up so we can take your state meant. Just recount what happened but be very clear as you say it, we may stop to ask a few questions to verify things but just keep going."

Yugi nodded and sat down, Joey pressed the record button and nodded at him to start when he was ready. "My name's Yugi Mouto and at around ten o'clock last night, October 16th I was kidnapped on my way from the museum to the hospital."

"Can you tell us what you were doing at the museum so late at night?" Detective Senna asked.

"I am an archeologist and I had been called down to give a second opinion on some translations they had received on ancient texts." The Detective's eyes sparked with curiosity but nodded for Yugi to continue. "On my way to the hospital I was shot by some sort of sedative, I knew it was a drug because I saw the dart roll on the ground before I passed out. I woke up sometime later, blind folded and chained, I could smell grease and oil so I knew we were in a factory of some type, I could hear people and the actioner start the bidding on me and once I was sold I heard them throw a blanket over the cage and move me off stage. That's when I started to plan my escape, I climbed up the side of a bar and used it as leverage to unhook my chains, but the sound alerted the guards. So I climbed to the top of my cage and hung there until one guard came to investigate, it was my luck that he came inside the cage and left the door unlocked I dropped down to the ground and slipped out the door closing it behind me.

"It was by chance that I came across my things as I was escaping and I stopped to grab them but that also made me lose time and the guards had found out about my escape, so I ran. I ran onto the stage and headed for the door but I was stopped by a man so I fought with him and broke his nose, he released me and that's when someone shot me, with both a bullet and dart after that I was tackled by two men and they forced me onto the ground. That's when the actioner came over, he said I had ruined some of his best men and that I would pay dearly. He kicked me a couple of time in the ribs, then ordered that I be taken back to my cage, that's when he left and I fought and struggled with the two guards and somehow managed to get out of there grasps and incapacitate one."

"And how did you incapacitate one?" Senna asked with a smile, he knew very well how the man was taken down.

Yugi smiled a bit at that, he was beginning to like this detective, "I struck him very hard in the crotch then very hard in the throat. That's when I believe both Detectives Senna and Wheeler came through the door, surprised I accidentally attacked and winded Detective Wheeler."

Joey pressed a button, "Did ya haft to include that last part." He said sourly, making his partner laugh again.

"It's finally good to know what your name is Yugi. Game hum … It's very interesting." He said it mostly to himself. "So this is what's going to happen, me and Joey need to report a few things before you can leave and most likely you probably will be placed under police protection. So if you would just wait in the lounge for a little while, there's food and things to drink in there you can help yourself to them."

"Thanks." Yugi said as he walked to there waiting room, he was hungry and thirsty he noticed but most of all he was just tired he was ready for this all to be over. He made a cup of half hot chocolate half coffee and grabbed a bag of the chips they had sitting out before sitting heavily in one of the overly comfy and well used chairs. He sipped the warm drink as he waited for his fate to be decided and thought about the two detectives.

It was hard for him to truly believe the one named Joey was an actual detective, now Detective Senna on the other hand was a different matter. Yugi liked Senna and he didn't get along very well with people anymore thanks to his past, but he liked that guy. Maybe it was because they looked the similar… no, it was something else. And when he thought about it they really didn't look that much alike. Yugi was a few centimeters smaller and paler, as for Senna he was a deep tan and Yugi suspected it was natural. Just like his crimson eyes those deep crimson eyes, so when he really thought about it the only thing they shared was there hair styles and the fact they both had black and blonde streaks, but it ended there were his was purple Senna's was crimson. He was still thinking about the two when they entered and grabbed their own cups of coffee, Yugi noticed with some surprise and curiosity that Senna made his like he did, half hot chocolate half coffee.

He sat down on the chair opposite to Yugi then began to explain what was going to happen, "It was a mafia business that you were being sold in, we have been tracking them for months and we finally caught a break with this last one, but it seems we were a bit too late to get the head honcho. He's changed his looks recently so we don't know what he looks like. We were hoping one of these pictures looked like him." Senna laid three photos out for Yugi to see and compare.

He shook his head, "None of these are even close. Think stereotypical fat business man then place balding brown/red hair and gray eyes. He looks like someone you pass everyday on the streets but don't ever notice, except he has a deep scar running across his right cheek."

"Compliments of the dear Detective Senna here! We got close to the man once and he ended up getting a shout off at him we didn't get him but we were close and we left a nice reminder on his face, but then he went and changed his looks."

"Which is why I'm being placed in police protection, it's because I saw his face and he could come after me once he realizes that I'm gone. I understand that, but it's not me I'm worried about, it's my grandfather, he's in the hospital and if they went after him…" Yugi trailed off, all he had left was his grandpa and he was afraid that even that might be taken from him soon.

"We understand, we will post police protection around your grandfather so that he comes to no harm. What's his name?"

"Solomon Mouto."

"Joey, go call it in. I'll explain how this is going to work, you're gonna come live with me at my house because it's a secure location and if you need to go out, me and Joey are going to be coming with you. Got that?" Yugi nodded and finished his drink as Joey came back in.

"Alright, they've got someone watchin' your grandpa at all times, so what do you say we head home and get some shut eye. I'm telling ya you're not gonna believe were this guy lives." Joey said excitedly.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 (I DO NOT OWN YUGIOH)

Yugi stared at the house before him, it was huge, no it was beyond huge it was a freaking mansion. He didn't really believe what Joey had said earlier but now he did, Yugi glanced at the detectives as they locked the car and started to the entrance of the house.

"I told you that it was huge." Joey said as he saw the look on Yugi's face.

"How many people live here?" Yugi asked, curiosity getting the better of him.

"Including you now, five." Detective Senna answered, noticing that Yugi had let his guard done momentarily. "I own the place with my cosine. It's part of my inheritance from my family."

"Part?" Yugi asked, how rich was this guy, and why did he even have a job if his family was this rich.

"I'll tell you all about it later, for now let's get you settled in. There is a couple of things you need to know, my cousin isn't the friendliest of people, so if you see him he probably won't even acknowledge you. He has a little brother and he's pretty cool but he is usually at school or helping his brother with his business. The only other people living here are me and Joey, and now you until this whole thing is done with." Senna said as he lead the way to Yugi's room, the whole way thinking his amazed and shocked look was cute, he opened a door and motioned for him to go inside. "This is your room now, there's a fully stocked bathroom in here. I'll go get you some clean cloths and we'll talk about what to do from there."

Yugi nodded and watched as the door was closed behind the detective. With a sigh he threw his leather shoulder bag onto the bed laid there for a moment or at least he thought it was, because he never heard Senna come back in with the clothes, and didn't open his eyes until the sun forced him awake.

Yugi sat up dazed at the unfamiliar surroundings, he was laying on a queen sized bed with a dark blue and black sheets and comforter. The window that had let the sun in had floor length dark blue curtains pulled to the side, beside the window on either side was a dark stained wooden desk with a small lamp and book shelf that was mostly empty. Beside the bed on one side was a small table with a lamp and the other side was a door that most likely leads into a closet, directly in front of the bed was a door that lead to the bathroom. There was also an old fashioned fainting couch at the foot of the bed were his shoulder bag had fallen and the clothes that Senna had left for him. When he finally remembered where he was at and what had happened he wanted nothing more than a hot shower.

Quickly Yugi stripped out of his slept in cloths and pulled off the used bandages and hopped into the shower. He grabbed a bottle of soap and shampoo and began to scrub fiercely at his skin, disgusted with how dirty he felt, hissing as the soap got into his wound and stung but he felt clean and that was all that he really cared about. He stood in the warm water for a few moments longer, loving the feel of the clean water wash over his now clean skin, with a sigh he turned off the water and stepped out wrapping a towel around his hips.

Yugi began a quick search through the cabinets for bandages, pulling out a gauze pad and some ointment. He used the mirror to place the ointment and the gauze pad, thankful it had the adhesive tap around the edges, before he sat on the bed and began to wrap the bandages around his torso and shoulder.

"Woops, sorry." Detective Senna said as he opened the door suddenly and spotted Yugi sitting on the bed in a towel. "Sorry about that, need some help?"

"It's fine, I've got it, I've done it plenty times." He said and finished tying a knot in the bandage to hold it in place.

"I can tell, you're scarily good at this." He pointed to the expertly done bandage job. "I thought I'd come see if you were awake and wanted breakfast."

Yugi nodded as he picked up the fallen clothes from the night before and ducked into the bathroom to change into them. He was surprised at how well they really did fit, it was a simple black tan stop and a pair of almost skin tight dark blue jeans, he carefully pulled them on trying not to tweak his shoulder. He stared at himself for a moment, he stuck with mostly thrift store clothes and he had to marvel at how much more comfortable the brand names were. With a sigh he ran a hand threw his spiky hair before going back out to the main room.

"They look good on you." The Senna smiled when he saw Yugi.

"Thanks for lending them to me, so what happens now?" Yugi asked.

"Well basically, me and Joey go were you go, too keep you safe. You haft to stay here because if something were to happen we can protect you easier. So just do whatever you want and we go with you."

Yugi nodded and began to root around in his bag for his watch which had been broken, he found, most likely in his struggle to escape. He could feel those intense crimson eyes on him as he moved about, with a sigh he finally spoke up. "There scars are from beatings, I wasn't very well liked during school… or college. My smaller size and looks get me a lot of unwanted attention, and my high grades didn't help either."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to stare."

"It's fine, it's only natural to be curious when you see someone with so many scars."

"Your parents didn't try to press charges or anything?"

"There dead, since I was a toddler, my grandpa raised me and I didn't bother him with small things like this." Yugi said and searched around the room for a clock, he needed to know what time it was so he could get to work.

"I wouldn't exactly call it a small thing." Senna said quietly, then noticed Yugi's searching. "Is there something you're looking for?"

"The time, do you know what time it is?"

"It's almost ten in the morning."

Yugi jolted like he had been shocked, "Damn, I'm going to be late." He swore viscously and grabbed his bag and checked that all his notes were still there.

"Late? For work, you're actually going to work, after what happened last night?" The detective asked a bit surprised.

"I haft to, I haft to work or I won't be able to keep up with the payments. You guys don't haft to come, there is a lot of security at the museum." Yugi said as he placed everything back into his bag.

"No, no I'm coming. That's _my_ job, just let me go change into more appropriate street clothes, we don't want to let anyone know that your under protection. I'll tell Joey, we will meet you down stairs."

"Ya know you're crazy right, little guy." Joey said as he came down the stairs with the other detective.

Yugi let out a laugh, "I don't have a choice in the matter, we should get going I'm already late enough as it is."

"I'm pretty sure your boss will forgive ya for bein' a little late." Joey said and ruffled his blond hair with his hand as he walked out the door. He had changed into regulate clothes faded blue jeans and black and white T-shirt with a jean jacket over it with a pair of military dog tags Yugi hadn't noticed he was wearing before, and his gun hidden securely in the small of his back.

"Don't mind him he just hasn't eaten yet, let's get to the museum." Senna said as they left, he was defiantly dressed in different clothes Yugi though and was surprised his jaw didn't drop when Senna came down behind Joey. He wore all black, a black tank like the one he wore with a leather jacket over it with a mish mash of silver buckles on it and tight black jeans with frayed holes in them and a double looped studded belt and choker. Yugi was surprised at how much he stared at the man before him, he was hot, no, he was sexy, Yugi decided, then shook his head quickly, he was _not_ going there. He told himself as he followed both detectives out to the car.

Yugi sat in the back and waited for Senna to find a parking spot, before they climbed out and followed Yugi. They followed him as he zigged zagged his way through the exhibits until he came to a door with an electrical lock that you needed a badge to open and two guards one on either side.

"So you finally showed up this morning, who are these two clowns?" one of the guards asked.

"There are complicated circumstances that require the police to be following me, this is Detective Wheeler and Detective Senna." Yugi explained quickly.

"The boss won't be happy you know." The other guard said.

"Well if he has a problem with it, then he can come talk to me, or call the department and talk to one of my superiors." Senna said and handed a card to the guard, the guard took it sighed and waved them forward, Yugi pulled out his badge and slide it threw and opened the door.

"Well that was surprisingly painless." Yugi said as he placed his bag on his work bench and began pulling out the things he needed and began sorting them into piles of importance.

It wasn't long before Joey spoke up, "What is all this stuff?"

"Things that are waiting to be processed for the museum, it's my job to translate and double check other things as they are made ready for display, we don't want false information being displayed."

"Yesh, looks like a bunch of old rocks with pictures on them to me. Something wrong there Senna?" Joey asked as he watched his partner twitch irritably. "Oh, I know what's going on, you're getting the urge for a smoke. I keep tellin' ya man those things aren't good for ya."

"I know they aren't but quitting isn't as easy as I first thought it would be." Senna shot back.

Yugi smirked to himself, "Are you really serious about quitting?"

"Ya, why?"

Yugi smiled and stood up, he motioned for them to follow him, "I'm going to show you something that might help, it did with me. And it's probably best you haven't eaten anything yet."

"You used to smoke, it's hard to believe that."

"Yes, I did during collage, it was stressful and they seemed to help, until I got a good look at what they were doing to me." He walked around the back of a dark case and looked for the light switch, "This exhibit is about to close so you're lucky you get to see it before it leaves." Yugi watched their faces as he flipped the switch.

"_That_ is nasty." Joey said and grimaced at the set of lunges that were brittle and black. "What happened?"

"These are the lungs of an eleven year smoker, he donated them after he died from lung cancer. And if you don't quiet this is where you're heading, if you haven't been smoking long the damage is still repairable to your lungs."

Senna reached into his back pocket, "Joey, hold onto these for me." And tossed the pack of cigarettes to him.

"No problem man."

Yugi reached into his own pocket and tossed the pack to Senna, "That will help, it'll take the mind off the urge." It was a package of cinnamon gum, Senna took a piece out quickly and stuck it in his mouth, before glancing back at the black lungs and grimacing.

"Ah, guy's hold up for a bit, I've got to use the men's." Joey said as he pointed behind them, Yugi sighed and opened the door to his work area, he stuck out a foot to keep it open before he tossed the badge to Joey.

"Don't lose that. You might as well go and get us something to eat, the cafeterias a little further than the bathrooms, just charge the food on my account. " Yugi said and watched the relief at the thought of food brighten Joey's face, and it made him smile, which surprised him. He pushed open the door and entered back into his work space with Senna following behind.

"So I've been meaning to ask, is all this stuff from Egypt?" Senna asked looking curiously around the room.

"Yes, Detective Senna they are, we have a large exhibit opening soon." Yugi answered back as he sat back at his station.

"You don't need to keep calling me that, but I guess I never really properly introduce myself, My name is actually Atem Yami Senna, you can call me Atem or Yami, eithers fine."

"You must have Egyptian blood then, I thought you might, but I couldn't be sure."

"How did you know?" Atem asked surprised.

Yugi laughed, "I'm an expert in Egyptology. I wouldn't be the best in my field if I couldn't tell your names were Egyptian." Senna smiled at that, he liked hearing Yugi's laugh. "If you're the best in your field why aren't you out in the field on an excavation and instead are here doing spot checks on other peoples half assed work?" Yugi's lips twitched into an amused smile but before he got to answer Joey came back into the room.

"Wow, I almost got lost in there, those bathrooms are huge." Joey said, as he entered the room, touting a tray filled with food and drinks. He set the tray down on a cleared desk and returned Yugi's badge. Yugi mumbled a "thanks" and took a glass bottle of chilled coffee and a banana before absorbing himself back into his work, while Joey attacked the food with Atem watching the way it disappeared in fascination and disgust. After the food finally disappeared Joey nodded off in his chair and Atem began to occupy himself with the Egyptian artifacts asking a question or two every once and a while, and Joey snored in his sleep. Yugi was surprised at how much he didn't mind these guys around him, even though he was working, it surprised him even more that he sort of liked the feeling of having them around. Yugi felt a smile pull at his lips, but was quick to cover it up so they didn't see, he still didn't trust them.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 (I do not own Yugioh)

Yugi was tired and his shoulder ached, his head pounded and made the ancient hieroglyphic text on the pages he studied swim off the pages. All he wanted to do was go home take a hot shower, or maybe a bath he thought, curled up in his nice comfy arm chair with a cup of half hot chocolate and half coffee and let his mind go blank. But he couldn't, that wasn't an option because his apartment wasn't a secure location and instead he would haft to go back to the mansion that Atem owned. He sighed heavily as he set the old parchment paper down and checked the time, twenty minutes, just twenty minutes more and he could go home. He began to pack up his things, sorting through the files and notes taking his own more in-depth files home, he always took them home, if he didn't they were likely to get stolen by one of his colleges and passed off as his own work.

"Are you done for the day?" Atem asked as he was roused from playing a game on his phone, next time he would remember to bring a book with him.

"Just about, another ten minutes before I officially clock off." Yugi paused a moment before he decided to ask his question. "Do you think we could stop by my apartment before we head to your house, there are something's I need to pick up from there."

"That's fine, as long as-" Atem's words were cut off by the loud bang of the door thrown open. In an instance Atem was up his weapon raised and ready, and to Yugi's surprise so was Joey even though he had been sound asleep in one of the chairs a second ago. "Hands in the air!" Atem said calmly in a deep voice that sent shivers down Yugi's spin as it bordered on dangerous. The fat man with his double chins froze at the site of the guns, then looked at Yugi before he turned an unnatural shade of red.

"Stop, that's my boss!" Yugi said quickly, a little worried about whether his job was on the line now. Atem glanced back at Yugi then to the fat man again before he slowly lowered his weapon, joey doing the same.

"Sorry about that, you startled us." Atem said trying to defuse the situation, after hearing what Yugi had said about this guy and the fact his face had quickly turned red in anger at the sight of them the tension in the room went from shaky to catastrophic in a heartbeat.

"You're sorry, you're sorry," the fat man paused a second and looked pointedly at Yugi. "My office. Now." Yugi sighed there was no getting around this, and he was surprised that it didn't happen earlier. Yugi flowed his boss Mr. Johnson out of the room and to his office, where he listened to his boss rant at him. "What do you think you're doing bringing these two with you to work? This is a peaceful place not someplace where you can just go pulling out your weapons on everybody that walks through here. This is unacceptable!" Yugi was tired and he still had a pounding headache which caused his tongue to become rather sharp with barely hidden insults. And by the time they were done Yugi was sure he had insulted his boss at least three times without being caught, he gave some random excuse about the two before handing over a card with Atem's and Joey's Captains contact info on it and told him to call him before he left.

Yugi was silent on their way home only speaking when he needed to give directions to his apartment. When they got there he felt Atem and Joey exchange a surprised glance with each other, the place they stopped was an old run down red brick building that looked to be barely up to code. But they didn't say anything as they followed Yugi up to the fourth floor, by way of stairs as the elevator didn't work. The floors were covered in old faded carpet and every few steps the boards underneath squeaked, some of the hallway lights were out or flickering and the industrial green wallpaper was missing or pealing in some spots. They finally came to a door with 4D in painted black letters, Yugi unlocked the door then using the old time tradition of ramming your shoulder into it opened the door.

Compared to the outside of the building Yugi's apartment was a breath of fresh air. He wasn't in any way living the high life, but at least the rooms were clean and painted an appealing purple grey. There was a single old brown couch and a red arm chair in the living room surrounding a small sanded wooden table surrounded by a sea of books some new and others so old they were still in old fashioned hand sewn leather binders. There was a door that leads to the bedroom with a small space set off for the bathroom.

The bedroom was just as sparse as the living room with only a bed and small table and by Atem's judgment a sturdy handmade wooden book shelf that was like the rest of the room coverd in books. Yugi immediately went into the small curtained off closet and pulled out a suitcase and two duffel bags. The smaller bag he filled with clothes, and the other two he filled with books and other things Atem had no name for.

"There tools for working with artifacts, and there expensive, along with the books that I'm taking with me. If I leave them here there's a good chance that they'll get stolen while I'm gone." Yugi said as he pulled books from the shelf and then began searching through the stacks on the ground.

"No, I understand. This isn't the safest of neighborhoods, and some of these look really rare." Atem said as he looked at an old bound book he couldn't even understand the first sentence in it, even though it was written in English. Yugi smirked at the polite comment about where he lived, he knew this place was a complete dump but he didn't complain, it was what he could afford. He continued to fill the two bags with books and last but not least a dark stained cherry wood box that held some of the most important things in his life. He placed it in before zipping up the bags.

"Here I'll get this one." Joey said helpfully as he went to pick up the duffel bag full of books, Yugi watched amused as he almost toppled over by its weight. "What the hell, this thing ways a ton!" Yugi suppressed a chuckle as he took the bag from the taller blond, and slipped the strap over his shoulder like it weighed nothing. "What the hell, how is that thing not toppling you over?"

"I'm used to moving heavy things like this, and I'm stronger than I look." But it wasn't that easy Yugi was only just barely managing to stay upright. "You move heavy stone artifacts for a living you figure out how to move heavy things." Yugi was barely able to stop the laugh that was threatening to bubble out at the annoyed look and the blonds face.

"I don't think it's that." Atem said as hefted the much heavier suitcase off the floor. "He's just not as strong as he would like to thin he is. Why don't you grad the last duffle bag that should be light enough for you." Atem teased his miffed partner. "Is there anything else you need to grab?" Atem turned to the door as he saw Yugi shake of the head.

Yugi had barely heard the question from Atem, he was too busy admiring the strong and sexy ripple of muscle as Atem lifted and carried the suitcase of books. They bunched and coiled under his skin tight shirt, his biceps bulging attractively under that dusty tanned bronze skin of his. Yugi had been mortified when he realized they intense admiring he had been doing and the slight perverse thoughts that had started to flash in his mind. Afraid that his voice might have given him away he just shook his head before following him out of his apartment. Which wasn't such a good idea, as he was behind the detective the whole way down the stairs. Meaning he had a good view of those muscles in his arms and shoulders and an even better view of the ones in his back.

Yugi mentally shook himself, hard, it had just been awhile since he had had sex with anyone. It was just some built up sexual frustration, that's all it was. Yep all it was. And besides he highly doubted Atem went for guys, he was to good looking for that. And it's not like Yugi only went for guys, he just found one night stands easier with guys, less feeling involved than with a girl. Yugi shook himself again and forcefully turned his mind to other things, why should he even care if Atem was straight or gay, it's not like anything was going to happen with them.

A painful twinge ran through Yugi's heart at the thought, and a sad and dark feeling settled over his heart. '_I'm just tired is all.'_ You thought to himself and turned his mind to his grandpa, he should have gone to see him, but he was just too tired, he was sure his grandpa would understand.

"Hey, Yug? You all right?" Joey asked as they lifted the bags into the trunk of the car. He had been watching the him for a while and seen several mixed emotions cross his face.

"Ya I'm fine. My shoulder aches a little is all. I'll be fine." Yugi said and effectively cut off any further questions by getting into the back of the car. Joey watched him from the rear view mirror, and worried. He found he was really worried for him, and he found it more from the feelings of being friends than purely out of duty.

In an attempt to cheer up the atmosphere he purposely did something stupid, by hitting his head on the ceiling of the car as he excitedly yelled out they should get pizza and ice cream for dinner. It had the desired effect and had both Atem and Yugi laughed loudly, which lifted the mood in the car as they began to debate the type of ice cream and toppings on the pizza. Considering his job done Joey settled down and joined the debate as he rubbed his sore head.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5 (I DO NOT OWN YUGIOH)

Yugi sighed in contentment as he collapsed face down on the fluffy comfiture, his still wet hair leaving little water drops on the blue material. His shoulder ached slightly but it was drown out by the contentment he was feeling. He had just spent a good three hours with Joey and Atem arguing over pizza toppings then when they couldn't agree on one getting the most disgusting mixture on top, which turned out to be really good. Then wrestling for the last slice, and joking over god knows what until Yugi's sides felt like they were going to split from all the laugher.

Yugi rolled onto his back and hissed as the touch of the blankets stung on his tender wound. With a sigh he sat up and reached for the roll of bandages, he couldn't remember the last time he had laughed that much, especially with other people, they were beginning to grow on him…but he still didn't trust them. They were nothing more than colleges, just like those he worked with, you would be friendly and laugh with them, but there was a difference from being polite and friendly and being friends, friends meant you trusted them but Yugi trusted no one but himself.

The shock of pain and loneliness that lanced threw his heart startled him and he knocked the roll of bandages to the floor. Cursing he bent to gather it up only cursing more when the bandages had unrolled themselves.

"Looks like there giving you trouble." Atem said with an amused smirk on his face as he entered Yugi's room with the bags they had collected from Yugi's apartment, all three of them. For a moment Yugi could only stare, was it even possible to carry that much weight and not be crushed under it, his muscles must be made from steel. Yugi shook himself as Atem walked into the room and placed the bags by the desk and empty bookshelf.

"Thanks, for bringing them up here, I forgot about them." Yugi said as he fidgeted under that cool crimson stare, it occurred to him that this was the second time Atem had seen Yugi half-naked.

Atem noticed the slight fidgeting, and realized he hadn't said anything and had been simply staring. "You're welcome. How is your wound?"

"Hu? Oh, my shoulder, it's doing well still hurts but not too much."

Atem walked over and picked up the forgotten roll of bandages, "Sit down I'll help you dress it."

"What, no, that's okay. I can get it myself." Yugi tried to deflect the offer to help gently, he didn't want to be that close to Atem, and on top of that he didn't want to show his weakness to him.

"It must be hard to do it on your own, sit, I promise I won't make you black out like last time." Atem said with that amused smirk. He knew Yugi was trying to get him to leave, he could see that whatever part of himself he had briefly shown over dinner was gone now. Locked back up in those iron walls that surrounded him and his heart, and Atem was determined to get through them. He knew something interesting lay on the other side of this politely hostile and prickly personality that Yugi showed to the world. But so far he had only barley managed to slightly scratch the surface, and as soon as that little chip had been taken down it had been repaired and made even stronger, forcing him to try another approach.

With reluctance Yugi sat on the bed in front of Atem letting him see his damaged shoulder. He felt Atem's warm breath tickle his skin as he let out a quiet whistle.

"They really did a number on you, but it looks to be healing well. Hold still while I disinfect it." Atem ordered as he used the tweezers to pick up a soaked cotton ball and lightly dab at the wound. Yugi didn't even flinch, he felt the cold liquid a second before the stinging began, he stayed still till Atem was satisfied it was properly cleaned. Then that cold and stinging sensation was quickly chased away by the gentle warmth of Atem's hands, they were rough, Yugi realized. Calloused from hours of work, but they were so warm and gentle all the same.

A shiver ran through Yugi as Atem worked, he stopped a second wondering if Yugi had gotten cold, but here were no other signs of being cold. Atem fitted the gauze pad to his shoulder holding it in place so the adhesive would hold securely, he found himself contemplating Yugi's skin, it was so white with only a hint of a tan in it, it had surprised him at the contrast between his own darker skin and Yugis, and how smooth it was. His finger skimmed Yugi's shoulder blade as he began to place the bandages and another shiver ran through Yugi, no, it was more like a…shudder. Atem's eyebrow rose in a silent question that no one would answer, so to confirm he purposely let his fingers lightly graze that smooth skin as he finished tending to the wound, and sure enough there was the shudder again. But was it of pleasure or disgust?

Yugi finally noticed his reaction by the time it happened for a third time, the shudder that had ran threw him at the other man's touch. Where ever he had grazed across his back there was an accompanying searing heat and an insane need for it again. It took him a moment to realize that neither of them had moved and he could feel those deep crimson eyes on his back again. He became acutely aware that the distance between there body's was very small and he could feel the body heat coming from Atem.

Yugi willed his voice to stay level, and nearly managed it. "Thanks f-for the help." He cursed himself for the small stutter that had escaped his lips.

"It was no problem at all." Atem stood his thoughts were in very deep places, contemplating Yugi's reaction. He still didn't know if it was something good or bad. "Yugi, I don't know what happened in your past but, you can trust me, and Joey. Not just to protect you from danger but to be your friends as well." He watched as Yugi's bare shoulders stiffened slightly at his words and he barely managed a sigh as he reached for the door to close it. A second before it shut he heard a mumbled 'thanks'. "You're welcome." Atem said as the door clicked close, he had a small smile of satisfaction cross his lips, '_And another scratch has been made, hopefully it will stay there this time.'_

Joey never heard the quiet footsteps as Atem walked down the hall and into the sitting room, where a small fire was glowing lending the only light to the room. "So how is he?" Joey asked as Atem took a seat across from him, stretching out on the couch.

Atem watched the flickering of the flames for a moment before replaying. "He's boxing me out again, it seems every time I make a scratch in his armor it's repaired just as fast and reinforced. I don't really know what to do."

"There's nothing we can do, not unless he lets us, we can only keep tryin' and hope he'll learn to trust us. I like the guy, and I think he's been dealt a shit hand in life, so he's learned to protect himself." Joey replied as he tossed Yugi's personal file on the table between them. It was filed with page after page of medical reports, beatings, broken bones, cuts and lacerations, and a couple of concussions one was almost bad enough to require hospitalization. "The guy's been beat on his entire life, even when he was in college, it's not any surprise he doesn't trust anyone. I didn't even see any pictures of friends or family. When I got us something to eat this mornin' and told the cashier that it was gonna be charged to Yug's account she looked at me as if I was the lord himself, she told me it was a surprise, that Yugi never ate or sat with anyone. Said he would talk and eat with a person if they asked but he never voluntarily went with someone, it's gotta make ya wonder if he's ever trusted anyone in his life."

"Ya, I noticed that." Atem thought back to that small and rundown apartment, it was barely even livable inside, why did he choose to live like, that even if he wanted to stay with his current job he could afford a better place than that. His memory flashed back to Yugi's interview statement. "His grandpa, he cares for him, he asked us to put a guard on him, but I didn't even see a picture of the guy."

Atem heard Joey sigh, "Well we can only do our best, I'm gonna go see Seto then head off to bed." Atem smirked, if he was going to see Seto first it wasn't likely he would be getting any sleep tonight. Atem's mind wandered as he stared at the golden orange flames, he knew Yugi cared for his grandpa. When he thought they might go after him Atem had seen fear in those beautiful amethyst eyes, even when he never even flinched at the possibility that he could die from the people after him. There was something else beside the beatings and betrayals that made Yugi so defensive, so rejecting to any outside help or kindness… But then again, maybe Yugi wasn't as unfeeling as he seemed, Atem thought of the shudders that had run threw that slight body toughened by taunt muscles and thin scars at his light touches.

Atem had been with a few guys before but most of those relationships had turned sour, and quickly when they realized he wasn't someone that could be dominated so easily. So he had reverted back to women, but he found most relationships with them were too complicated, they always wanted more and he just wasn't interested in them. But Yugi on the other hand was a puzzle, his body looked soft and frail but in truth it held finely toned muscles, and a fighting spirit that could burn. Yes, Yugi was an interesting puzzle, and if he wasn't mistaken the slight attraction between them was mutual. And Atem planed on unraveling the mystery that was Yugi.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6 (I do not own YUGIOH)

Yugi opened his eyes to the brightness of the morning, he checked the bedside clock and it read 10:30 am. He had slept almost three hours over his usual time and was eternally grateful that it was Saturday and he didn't have work on the weekends.

Yugi rolled back over contemplating weather or not to go back to sleep, but he hadn't felt so energetic in a while, that staying in bed would have been a complete waste of his good mood. So he pushed off the covers and searched for a shirt that wouldn't look too weird with his black pajama pants, finally he found a slightly baggy black tank top, or it at least used to be black. It had been washed and worn so many times it was turning a weird black/grey, but he liked it, it was familiar and comfy, he thought as he pulled it over his head before heading down to the kitchen.

Now that things had finally slowed down he took the chance to really look at the place he was staying in. The walls were white with high ceilings; there were paintings or potted plants on pedestals every few feet to break up the ongoing white walls. The carpet on the floor was a pleasant soft dark color that was thick and made Yugi feel like he might sink into it at every step. He stopped to look closely at a painting, he didn't know who had painted it but he knew it was old and was probably the real thing, and not a reproduction.

As he turned down the hall again, he remembered Atem had never really gotten around to telling him how a detective had all this. He had said it was 'part' of his inheritance, which meant he had more ore was going to get more. As Yugi thought about it he turned a corner and collided with someone.

"Sorry, I didn't see you." Yugi said and looked up into the tall man's face, he had short brown hair and piercing blue eyes that immediately put Yugi on his guard. He was too busy contemplating the man before him that he hadn't seen the smaller kid appear from behind the taller man.

"Oh hey, you must be the guy Cousin Yami told us was staying here for a while. It's nice to finally meet you I'm Mokuba and this is my older brother Seto." The younger man with dark eyes and thick black hair said, Yugi was sure the kid was a high school student maybe even a senior.

"Ah, yeah, I'm Yugi Mouto." Yugi watched as the kids eyes went wide.

"Not, the famous Egyptologist?"

Yugi was surprise a kid would even know he was famous even more so that he specialized in Egyptology or even knew what that was. "Yeah that's me, though I haven't done anything that could be called famous for a long while."

"I know, what happened? You just seemed to fall off the planet a year ago." Mokuba asked, and it was hard to resist those big curious eyes.

"I-some family issues came up, so I work in the museum right now." He looked a bit disappointed and was about to ask something else but his brother interrupted him.

"We're going to be late Mokuba if we don't get going." Seto said and as they walked passed Yugi, he could feel those curious icy blue eyes stair at him for a little longer. Yugi let out a tense breath after he turned the corner and away from those piercing blue eyes, he wondered what seemed so familiar to him in there stare. But he pushed the thought away as just his imagination and made his way to the kitchen.

"HOT! HOT!" Joey yelled and fell through the door cradling his hand, making and forcing Yugi to jump out of the way quickly or risk being squashed as the so called detective tripped on his own feet and fell over. Yugi had to blink dumbly a couple of times before his surprised state left him.

"Uh, are you ok?" Yugi asked and offered a hand for the taller man to use to get up.

"No, that dumb brut knocked a pot of hot water over onto my hand." Joey complained and took the offered hand with the uninjured one. Yugi wasn't sure who the 'brut' was but by the sounds of the laughter inside he was pretty sure it wasn't Atem. "Man, I'm going to kill him. Glad to see that you're finally up, you look a lot better."

"Thanks, I feel a lot better; I even over slept this morning." Yugi said and surprised himself with how easily he was talking with the blonde detective.

"Well, you're not the only one, why don't ya take a seat with the others, breakfast will be done soon." Joey said and led them back into the large dinning/kitchen. There was several people sitting on bar stools all laughing their heads off, most likely about Joey's injury, there was two women a busty blonde with light lavender eyes and a smaller brunet with blue eyes, they were sitting with three other guys, an albino, another brown headed guy, and a guy with a black pony tail and green eyes.

"Tristen! Get your military ass over here so I can kick it." Joey yelled and advanced on the brown headed guy who Yugi could now see was wearing a single dog tag. Tristen got up quickly and tried to smooth over his accident with the hot water but Joey wasn't having any of it, and Yugi watched a little dumbfounded as the two tackled each other to the ground and began to wrestle like little kids.

"Well who might you be cutie?" The blonde girl asked, "I'm Mai Valentine, by the way."

"Yugi Mouto."

"Oh, so _you're_ the guy who's pissed off the Yukaza, well there's no need to worry Yami and Joey have got you covered, even though that duffess doesn't act like a cop."

"I'm Tea Gardner, how's your shoulder doing?" the brown haired girl asked, and it took Yugi a moment to realizes she was one of the cops that had been there when they found him.

"It's better."

"Well, why don't you have Bakura look at it, he'll be able to tell you."

"Tea I'm not a doctor I'm a medical examiner, I take care of the dead." The Albino said in a light British accent but he got up from his seat anyways and began to undo Yugi's bandages. "Wow, looks to be healing pretty good actually. Give it another week or two and it'll be like it was never there."

"Uhh, thanks for looking at it." Yugi said as Bakura redid the bandages.

"Come on guys, back up you're crowding him. He's already been threw a lot give him some space." The last guy in the room said and shooed the others back a few steps before turning to introduce himself. "Duke Devilen, I'm not a cop or anything, just a humble game shop owner."

Yugi smirked, "Not just a game shop owner, the inventor of the second most popular game ever produced."

Duke looked slightly surprised, "Wow didn't expect you to know that I was the inventor of Dungeons Dice Monsters, I'm impressed, how did you know?"

"It's my job to know things like that; my grandpa owns a game shop." Yugi said and didn't notice when Joey and the guy named Tristen popped up behind Duke.

"Alright, now that I've put the fear of Joey Wheeler into our pal here it's time for introductions." Joey said all important like.

"You're a little late to the party hun, we already did that." Mai said.

"WHAT!"

"A hun, your foods about to burn." Mai pointed at the food sizzling on the stove.

"WHAT!" Joey yelled again and rushed over to the stove to check the food. Yugi let out a breath as the group of people followed the blond over and retook their seats leaving him by himself. He glanced at the room again and noticed that Atem wasn't among them, he was about to ask where he was then caught himself. Why should he care where Atem was? If he was there it would only add another person into the mix, but he felt a bit disappointed at the thought that Atem wouldn't be down to join them, then annoyed with himself for feeling like that.

"Hey, Yugi will you go wake Yami, if he sleeps any longer there won't be any food left for him." Joey said as he flipped pancakes out of a pan. "His room's three doors down and across the hall from yours." Yugi nodded and left the kitchen quickly, he could feel the tension melt off him now that he was alone in the hall and not crowded in a room with so many people.

He hesitated before going into the room that was supposed to belong to Atem, he had stalled long enough he told himself, even stopping back in his room to pull on a pair of faded dark blue pants that had a whole in the knee and a rip in the thigh. He told himself that he was stalling so he wouldn't half to go back into the kitchen so soon, but a little nagging voice in his mind wouldn't shut up. That maybe he was only stalling because the thought of going into Atem's room was making him nervous, but excited as well, and it confused him. Why should he be so nervous, he barely knew the guy. But the thought of possibly finding Atem still asleep excited him. Taking a deep breath to settle his warring emotions he knocked lightly on the door. A part of him hoped Atem would answer and already be ready to head down stairs but an even bigger part hoped he wasn't. But there was no answer.

Yugi opened the door and peeked inside the room, and gasped. It almost felt like an Egyptian tomb inside, the windows had heavy drapes blocking any light from outside, and it was warm in the room, almost hot even. There were a few old fashioned oil lamps that ran on electricity, lowly flickering to add only the barest amount of light to the room. But they reviled sandy beige walls, the outlines to a rather large picture a few arm chairs in front of a fireplace and a four poster bed, with what looked like burgundy drapes tied open only on one side with a sleeping form curled in the center of the bed.

Yugi stepped in further and let the door shut quietly behind him before approaching the bed, several pillows were abandoned buy the headboard as the occupant of the bed was sort of curled around the largest of them all. Yugi had to force himself not to stare at the tan and muscled bare chest that the sandy golden sheets had left exposed. Yugi shook himself when he found himself staring again, Atem's sleeping face was no less handsome and fierce in sleep than when he was awake and that calm authority that he seemed to exude still clung to him even if dimmed a little.

"Atem," Yugi spoke softly, almost feeling bad at waking him up, but when that got no response he spoke louder and gently touched Atem's shoulder, and felt a pleasant shock go threw him at the contact. And let out a surprised squeak as Atem's hand grabbed his wrist and pulled Yugi over and into the bed with him. Yugi was frozen, by surprise and by nerves of excitement as he felt every nerve ending in his body come alive with a pleasant feeling as he lay there trapped by Atem.

He heard Atem hum deep in his throat, or maybe it was more like a purr, but Yugi couldn't tell over the rushing of blood in his ears and the drumming of his own heartbeat. Finally when he was able to make himself move Yugi tried to move out from under Atem but was frozen yet again when he met those deep crimson eyes, they were dark, almost the same color as blood but still held the shine and allure of a dark red ruby. Yugi swallowed hard as his mouth when dry and he was unable to say anything, _do_ anything, nothing but stare and marvel at the color of those eyes and the feel of their bare skin where it touched.

Unconsciously, Yugi relaxed completely as he laid there, totally unguarded and a feeling of safety began to build inside of him and spared throughout his body. He tried to say something, anything, but all that came out was a quiet breathy whisper of Atem's name. Just as something else began to build inside Yugi something changed. There was still that feeling of safety but that other nameless emotion had disappeared with the gentle light that came on in Atem's eyes.

"Yugi? What are you doing in here?" Atem asked, now awake fully.

"I-um- food." Yugi stammered out, before taking a breath to steady himself before he tried speak again, "Joey wanted me to wake you for breakfast, he said that if you slept any longer than there wouldn't be anything left."

Atem smirked, "Ah, so they are all here. I suppose that I better get up then." As he went to move he only just noticed their positions and the electric current that was running threw his body as there bare skin touched and their body heat mingled. He had no less than had Yugi pinned beneath him. He glanced back at Yugi who still lay sprawled on the big bed, the gold sheets deepening the slight tan Yugi had and the low flickering light played with the dark shadows in those beautiful amethyst eyes. A spark of warm lust ran threw him expectantly, Atem decided it might be better to put some space between them.

"So how do you know all those people down in the kitchen?" Yugi asked as he pushed himself into a sitting position, and tried not to notice the light white cotton pajama pants hung just below Atem's hips.

"Exactly who are all those people?" Atem asked back as he moved to the walk in closet and slightly shut the door so he could change.

"Let's see if I get them right, there was Tristen, Mai, Duke, Bakura, and Tea, I think those were their names."

"Yes, you got them right. Well, me and Joey have known Bakura, Tristen and Tea since the beginning of High school, Duke we met our second year and Mai, well, we picked her up in a competition we were participating in. We've all just kind of stuck together since." Atem finished as he walked out of the closet in a pair of black leather pants and a tight black sleeveless turtle neck with two silver buckles on his right shoulder. "They always come over here once or twice a week at least for breakfast, and I'll tell you one thing if we want to have anything for breakfast we better get down there quick."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7 (I do not own YUGIOH)

Yugi sat at the far end of the bar with all the others, sitting with so many people he didn't know made him nervous but, they were entertaining he thought. He watched as Tristen and Joey fought over the last piece of bacon and tried not to laugh at their faces when Bakura swooped in and ate it. The others laughed and the girls tried to cheer up the two boys, but it didn't seem sincere considering they were both laughing.

The way they all acted with each other, it was strange to Yugi, they acted more like a family not as a group of friends. Their friendship was so strong Yugi could almost see the thick chain that intertwined with them all and held them close. A pang of loneliness and envy shot through him, besides his grandfather Yugi had never had a real family, add to that his luck at school and you could cross out the thoughts of him having any close friends. He hadn't noticed how much he wanted such a strong bond until he witnessed as a stranger looking in at how much he wanted to be a part of something like that.

"How was your food?" Atem asked, he had noticed the strange darkness that had crept into Yugi's eyes. It hurt his heart to see such dark emotions run through those beautiful amethyst eyes when just yesterday he had seen them even if for only a short while filled with laughter and humor.

"It's good, didn't expect Joey to be a good cook." Yugi replied and a little bite of darkness left those eyes.

"So," Atem continued turning to Yugi and resting his chin on his hand, "is there anything that you are planning to do today?"

"No, not really. I was going to unpack those bags of books and laze around… been awhile since I've said that." Yugi said and tried to remember the last time he could just laze around, he couldn't.

"Do you mind if I help you unpack those mounds of books, then give you the full tour of this massive house, there is plenty of places to just laze around in here." Atem said.

"Uhh, sure if you want. But I don't think watching me unpack books will be that interesting."

Atem let out an amused laugh, "Yugi, there's a lot about you and those old books I find interesting." Yugi wasn't sure why but a flash of earlier this morning and the way those deep crimson eyes looked at him ran threw his mind, he felt heat flush his face. And because he wasn't sure if he would stammer Yugi just nodded an ok.

"Alright then." Atem stood and placed the empty plates into the sink, "I'll leave you guys to your normal rituals of destroying my house while I help Yugi unpack." There was a collective acknowledgement from the group before going back to whatever they were doing before.

"They are really something aren't they." Atem said when they were alone in the hallway.

"I'm not sure _something_ is the word, but ya they are. They feel like a family, even though none of you are actually related to each other." Yugi said and that bit of darkness creep back into his eyes.

Atem wanted so badly to say right then and there that they could be his family as well. But he knew that if he said that just then, that whatever dent's he was making in those reinforced walls would be quickly coved up again, and he might just loose that chance to break them down for good. "What's your grandpa like Yugi? I've heard you mention him a few times but not too much."

"He's great." Yugi said and Atem was glad that some light came back into those eyes. "He raised me since I was a kid after my mom died and my father… well let's just say after my mom's death he wasn't the same after."

"What do you mean?"

Yugi hesitated a moment, that really wasn't something he had meant to tell him, this wasn't something he usually talked about or wanted to, but with Atem it just sort of slipped out and Yugi realized he _wanted_ to tell Atem. "Well, my mom she died in a car accident, I was with her and I came out of it virtually unharmed. My dad, he never wanted to have kids and when mom died he blamed me for it, he didn't like that I had survived and the love of his life hadn't. So our bad relation became worse, one Christmas he took me to grandpa's place and left during the night, I haven't heard or seen him since then. So my grandpa took me in and raised me, and I'm glad for it, I was happier with him then I could ever be with my father."

"You've had a rough time, with everything you've gone through and now this mess with the Yukaza, I must say fate has dealt you a very crapy hand in life." Atem said as he sat on Yugi's bed in his room.

"Yeah, that may be true but I'm sure that fate has some sort of plan, and there's a reason for all of this, I just haven't found it yet." But something in that rang false to Yugi as he looked at Atem sitting there on his bed, so strong and graceful. Yugi looked away and unzipped the first bag of books and began to sort through them as his mind thought over what he had just said. Maybe he had finally found what fate had been leading him up to. He shook his head and place a few books on the shelf, no, that wasn't true, that he would actually have true feelings for someone just wasn't for him. But… it felt right, that _this_ is what fate had meant for him, to be here, with them, with Atem.

Yugi rolled his eyes to himself, ya right, there was no way something like that was going to happen to him. He turned his mind to sorting out the books into piles, and didn't notice that Atem was watching him intently. _A crack?_ Atem thought, there had been a crack, he had heard it as clearly as if someone had broken the stone next to his ear. Something had just made a crack appear in that reinforced wall. Atem watched with renewed interest as he searched for any sign as to what had made that crack appear, but he found nothing, sighing in defeat he picked up a random leather backed book and flipped to the first page.

Atem narrowed his eyes at the text, the text was written in an older form of Egyptian and it took him awhile to decipher some of the older words. He was thankful for his unique background and his grandparents insistence that he learn the old ways. The book was talking about some sort of magic that the pharaohs of old possessed. He stared at one word trying to decipher it, he knew it but he couldn't remember, he had seen it somewhere… but where?

"Millennium." Yugi's voice spoke incredibly close to his ear, in surprise he turned his head and came face to face with those deep beautiful amethyst eyes and it took his mind a moment to return to processing normally.

"What, did you say?" Atem asked after his mind reconnected to his mouth.

Yugi smiled amused, and at their close distance Atem hoped he showed no outward sign to what that gentle and innocent smile had just caused to run rampant threw his body. "The word your staring so frustrated at, it's Millennium."

"Ah, that's right the Millennium items. So that's the magic this is referring to."

"I didn't know you could read Egyptian?"

Atem nodded, "My grandparents made me learn the old ways, but it still takes me some time to understand this old of writing's." Atem watched as the curiosity came into those deep purple eyes.

"You know, you never did tell me how a detective has a house this impressive. Does it have something to do with your Egyptian roots?"

"Very perceptive Yugi, come with me and I'll tell you." Atem said and lead his way back into his room. He searched for the light switch and turned the lights up effectively chasseing the shadows away. Revealing the room in more detail, Yugi decided it still had that ancient tomb quality but it also had a cross with royal bedchambers, the picture that he couldn't see earlier was now revealed to be a well taken picture of an dessert oasis. Atem went over to a shelf and pulled down a golden box.

"I told you before that this house is part of my inheritance, the house and most of the money I have at the moment are from the things my grandparents left behind for me. But the real inheritance is something that no one in my family has gained, comes from the last native Egyptian pharaoh, before the Greeks came and took over the lands. He made a contract that his riches and lands were only to go to his descendants that could put together his most prized possession." Atem opened the box and took out the partially completed gold pyramid, at once Yugi's aerologist nature wanted to examine it up close to authenticate it and see what secrets it could hold but he harshly rained that part of him in.

Atem saw it thought, that gaze sharpen and focused on the ancient object that now laid on the bed, he had to keep the smile off his face as he saw the anxious twitch of Yugi's fingers, he was itching to get his hands on it. "As I said earlier, no one in my family has ever inherited the pharaohs treasures, and I'm the only one who has gotten anywhere in actually completing the puzzle."

"Has nobody before tried to get around the rule your ancestor set?" Yugi asked, but his sharp gaze was still on the puzzle.

"Of course they have, but then something always happens to the people who try, nothing as bad as death or anything but something always manages to happen. So my family has decided that the Pharaoh put some sort of spell or curse on the puzzle and on the lands to keep out the greedy and the not pure of heart away from it."

"That wouldn't surprise me." Yugi almost blushed at the strange look Atem gave him, "Well… what I mean is I don't think it's entirely impossible that magic didn't exist. The Egyptians were smart, they made the first irrigation system, and they pretty much invented Geometry among other things. I just don't think that such a smart people would easily believe in something like magic. What I'm saying probably doesn't make since." Yugi mumbled the last part when he saw Atem's baffled face, he felt like an idiot forever saying anything then looked up confused when Atem started laughing hysterically.

"It's not something that funny!" Yugi said angrily, as Atem tried to control himself and breath normally again.

"D-Don't be mad, I'm not laughing at you, if anything I agree with you. I just found it amusing that you said something like that, when you seem like such a straight no nonsenses person, it surprised me." Atem said then flinch as Yugi hit him hard in the arm, there would most likely be a bruise there later he thought as he rubbed at the sore spot. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to make you mad."

"Fine, I'll forgive you for laughing at me on one condition." Yugi said, and Atem had a feeling he knew exactly what that condition was. "Can I look at it, like _really_ look at it?"

Yep he was right, "Yes, you can, actually I wanted to show it to you and see if you could help me in any way in putting it together, the things damn confusing. But I love a challenge and I'm not ready to give up on it yet." Yugi stiffened, for some reason he was sure that those last words had a double meaning to them, and it made his heart stutter.

"S-sure I'll see what I can do to help." Yugi cursed himself for stuttering, the man standing next to him was dangerous and had a way of messing up Yugi's steady self and get under his skin and into something deeper. Something unknown or maybe it wasn't unknown just forcefully forgotten in an effort to survive.

Atem saw the stiffened body poster, he wondered if saying that last part had been too much too soon, he hoped he hadn't damaged any of the progress he had made on this particular challenge. "Why don't we take the puzzle to your room and you can look it over real quick before I take you to see the rest of the house." Yugi nodded and picked up the golden puzzle and its box and followed Atem out of the room.

Atem watched as Yugi pulled out different tools from his shoulder bag, and began to exam the hieroglyphic writings on the outside of the box under a magnifying glass while quietly muttering the words under his breath. It was clear to Atem the he had been forgotten about so he wondered about the room looking at the now perfectly shelved books and the few pairs of clothes, if you could call them that. They were barely more than rags, they were so used and worn out, and he didn't even see a single pair of jeans that didn't have a whole in them, at least none that were put there out of fashion. He was distracted from his thoughts at a muttered triumphant sound.

"What is it?" Atem asked and watched as the realization came back over Yugi's face, it said '_oh, ya I forgot he was in here with me, oops.'_

"I found the name of the puzzle, you should recognize it, it's the Millennium puzzle, and I also found another interesting thing, the name of the Pharaoh that owned it." Yugi gave Atem a meaningful look.

"What, why are looking at me like that?" Yugi rolled his eyes like it should be obvious, then it clicked, "Me? Or should I say Atem?"

"Yep, congratulations Pharaoh it looks like your family artifact came back to you." Yugi said jokingly.

"Well, that's interesting, and kind of cool." Yugi gave a nod of agreement, "Alright let's go I found something else for us to do today." Atem said and pulled Yugi away from his desk and the puzzle that lay there.

"What?" Yugi asked confused and slightly annoyed that he was being pulled along like a child.

"Shopping, I have tons of money and your clothes are truly pathetic." Atem said and effectively cut off any protest from Yugi when he yelled to Joey that they were heading out and that they would be back in two hours. And if they weren't he knew what to do, before grabbing a pair of keys and his leather jacket that held his gun and badge, before dragging Yugi out of the house. With him complaining that his clothes were fine.

"Yugi stop trying to convince me that your clothes are fine when I can clearly see that you don't even believe that. You don't actually like dressing like that do you?" Atem asked and watched Yugi open his mouth to argue then shut it when he couldn't find an argument that would be helpful. Atem smirked wickedly, "Exactly, and not to sound arrogant, but believe me when I say that I have so much money that I don't know what to do with it, so buying you clothes won't be a problem."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8 (I DO NOT OWN YUGIOH)

Yugi grumbled silently the whole way to the mall, he felt pitiful. It's true that he didn't care for the clothes he wore but they were what he could afford, he didn't like charity. And at the moment that's exactly what Atem was giving him.

"Stop pouting like a child." Atem said as he watched Yugi's defensive poster as they walked into the building. "Your clothes are hanging together by threads, literally. I understand if you think of this as charity but don't, think of this as payment."

"Payment, for what?" Yugi asked as he searched his mind for something he had done worth being paid for.

"For your help in putting that puzzle together, even if we never complete it I'm still making use of your talents." Atem explained. Yugi thought it over for a moment, in truth, if Atem had taken the puzzle to someone it would have cost him thousands and Yugi had planned on doing it for free. He felt his resolve crack a little especially when they neared a store with a display of tight shirts with buckles and black leather pants. It reminded of the clothes that Yugi wore and favored before his grandpa fell ill.

Atem's sharp cop eyes didn't miss the look at the store and it made him smirk, the store was a personal favorite of his. He glanced at the window display and had a flash of Yugi in those tight skin molding black leather pants, he felt a small flush creep over him.

"Shall we go in?" Atem asked careful not to make any eye contact with Yugi.

"…Sure." Yugi said finally giving in.

Yugi took his time browsing through the racks of clothes trying to find the ones in his size and taste. It had been so long since he had had to worry about what looked good with what, he wondered if he could still tell. As he wondered he caught sight of a price tag and paled, but before he got to say anything about it Atem had roughly seized Yugi's chin, forcing them to look at each other.

"Stop crunching number Yugi. Believe me, you could by one of everything in this store and it wouldn't put a dent in there money." Atem said, he preferred not calling all that money his, he didn't earn it and he really didn't have a use for it either. For his needs he lived perfectly fine off his Detectives salary. "Yugi, stop fretting and relax for once and enjoy it." Atem scolded again. Yugi flushed from embarrassment, he really was acting like an ungrateful child, taking Atem's kindness and throwing it back in his face. Yugi stared into those crimson eyes, wondering when the last time someone had been truly kind to him, with no strings attached. Atem raised an eyebrow in question, that's when Yugi realized he had been staring thoughtfully into those crimson eyes. He pulled his chin away, looking to the side hoping his blush wasn't to obvious, "Thanks."

"You're welcome, now when I turn around again I want to see you pilling things up to try on." Atem said and when he did glance back some ten minutes later there was indeed a small pile of clothes next to Yugi.

Shirts, some leather others ranging in colors of blue, black, red, purple, and white. And several pairs of pants all of them either black or a dark blue, and a couple where leather. They were all skinny jeans and only a pair or two didn't have any stylish rips or holes or buckles and straps of some kind. A particular pair of leather ones were giving Atem small fantasy's, and as soon as reality slammed back into him he began to mentally lecture himself for it.

"Are you not going to look for anything?" Yugi asked him unexpectedly, Atem could see that Yugi had indeed taken his advice and was relaxed and enjoying himself.

"No, I think I have too many clothes at home."

"Then are you free to be my critiec?" Yugi asked as he gathered up the pile of clothes and headed for the curtained off section for a changing room.

"I suppose I can, but I'm an honest one, if it looks bad I'm going to say so."

Yugi made a dismissing sound, "Who wants a dishonest one."

"Joey." Atem said immediately, and explained when Yugi stuck his head back out of the curtains. "I swear he's as bad as a girl when you go shopping with him. He'll ask my opinion and when I say something looks bad he looks offended, and then when I tell him something actually looks good he doesn't believe me. It got so bad that I make my cousin go with him." Yugi burst out laughing and had a hard time stopping himself.

"Joey was not someone I would have pegged as fashion contiouse. And Kiaba? How did you manage that?" Yugi asked as he thought back to his younger days, he finally remembered where he had met Kiaba before.

"It wasn't that hard actually, he and Joey are together, but he still had to put up a front that it's an annoyance to him. Do you know Seto; you said his name like it was familiar?"

"Umm, ya I did a long time ago and we weren't friends or anything. We were in the same high school for a while and I beat him once in a competition. I didn't remember him even when I ran into him this morning; it took a while for it to come back. He didn't say anything this morning so I don't think he remembers me." Yugi pulled a shirt over his head. "I didn't peg Joey as gay, defiantly didn't peg Kiaba."

"Ya I know believe me, when I caught them kissing that first time it was a bit of a shock." Yugi made some sort of agreeing noise before he stepped out.

"How does it look?" _Sexy, desirable,_ were the first words that came to Atem's mind, then a few choice swear words when an excited tingly feeling ran threw his body. Yugi was wearing those black leather pants that Atem was thinking about earlier, and they looked ten times better on then off. The soft leather showed off a pair of surprisingly long legs as they rode just below Yugi's hips. There were two buckles on his upper right thigh and another strap placed sideways right below his left knee. He wore a simple sleeveless black tank with another buckle over his right shoulder. The shirt was simple but the way it molded to Yugi's body showing the faintest hint of his abs and pulled attention to the muscles in his bare arms and shoulders.

"It looks good, it suits you." Atem said and had the pleaser of the surprise shock in those amethyst eyes and the hint of a blush before Yugi ducked back into the changing room.

"S-so you said that Joey and Kiaba were together how long?" Yugi asked, he hadn't been expecting the surprise jolt of pleasure when Atem had said he looked good, or the slight darkening of those crimson eyes.

"About two years. Now instead of listening to him when he wants to go shopping I have to listen to him when he complains about his relationship with Seto. And I really don't want the details of their sex life." Yugi could practically feel Atem's disturbed shudder, but he didn't seem in any way disturbed about the fact his best friend and cousin were together. It made Yugi wonder if Atem was gay, and before he realized it that very question slipped out of his mouth.

"Am I what? Gay? No." Atem said easily, Yugi felt a part of him fall with disappointment, he had expected that to be the answer but he was still disappointed, then he scolded himself for feeling that way. "I prefer to be called Bi, since I'll sleep with both genders." Atem went on, and just as quickly as Yugi's disappointment came he felt it leave and his spirit lift again. "Does it bother you?" Atem asked, and felt his heart pick up the pace in anticipation at the answer.

Yugi hesitated for a second, if he answered honestly what would happen? It worried him some, but he still answered with the truth. "No, it doesn't, it would be hard to when I'm the same." His heart jumped as he admitted his orientation, especially to the man that already made him messed up just by standing there.

"Well then it seems there won't be any problems, and now we can swap funny and embarrassing stories about our Ex's."

Yugi laughed, "Not likely," and felt something inside him give with the laughter.

Even thought he had said that he wouldn't share stories about his Ex's both him and Atem had somehow come back to that very topic and were trading stories. He was sure his sides would be hurting tomorrow from all the laughter. Yugi had had fun today and as they talked with each other on the ride home, he thought back on how much he had laughed since he had come to stay with Atem. Maybe, just maybe there was some truth in what he said earlier about fate.

Atem's phone rang and he picked it up with a relaxed _'this is Senna'_, his relaxed poster and tone changed abruptly followed by a exclaimed 'What!', a demand for an explanation and a particular violent curse in Egyptian.

"What is it?" Yugi asked as soon as Atem had hung up.

"You were right to have us put a guard on your grandfather. Someone just made an attempt to get into his room, he's alright nothing happened to him, the guards outside made sure of that. But I'm still assuming you want to see for yourself." Atem saw out of the corner of his eye Yugi's nod of agreement, and turned his car toward the hospital.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9 (I DO NOT OWN YUGIOH)

Ten minutes later Yugi was nervously waiting for the elevator to take them to his grandfather's floor barely waiting for the doors to open before rushing through. Atem was following behind him keeping a close eye for any potential threats that might want to take a chance and attack Yugi. When they got close enough to the room Yugi took off, only to be stopped by the two guards that were stationed on either side of the door.

"Let me threw, let me see him." Yugi said as he tried to shove past the two guards.

"I-I'm sorry sir but we have direct orders to not let anybody in here." The guard on the left said nervously, it was obvious this youth didn't mean the old man any harm but he was told only the grandson was the only one aloud into the room, besides the doctors and any other approved person.

"It's alright Ryan," Atem said as he came up behind the quietly fuming Yugi placing a calming hand on his shoulder and was glad to see some of that tension in those shaking shoulders lessen a bit at his touch.

"Detective Senna, what are you doing here?" the cop asked as he glanced down at the boy that had set those wide glaring amethyst eyes on him.

"Officer Ryan, meet Yugi Mouto, the grandson of the man you are guarding."

"Grandson? But we were told that he was in his twenty's not a-"

"A what?" Yugi asked his voice lowering dangerously, usually the mistake for his age wouldn't bother him so much but at the moment he was anything but calm, and his glare was just daring the man to finish his sentence. Atem watched as the officer tried desperately to say something that would diffuse the situation and appease the annoyed Yugi, Atem had a hard time trying to keep the amused smile from his face.

"Why don't you let us inside I'm sure Yugi is wondering how his grandfather is, and you can give me your report on the situation." Atem said feeling pity for the officer that was victim to Yugi's anger at the moment, he almost felt proud. Even with Yugi's wide and almost innocent looking eyes the glare he was pulling off could have rivaled Atem's own.

"Y-yes, sir." Officer Ryan said thankful for a way out of the whole he had dug himself. Yugi finally allowed to pass pushed past the larger officer while muttering curses and other thing under his breath in Egyptian. At one particular comment Atem had to keep himself from laughing.

"So what happened?" Atem said finally pulling himself together to hear the report.

"Sir, if I do say so myself the attempt was a rather sloppy try. A man was wondering up around here looking into all the rooms he had passed as if searching for someone. That's what first got my attention I told my partner about it and that seemed to get the man's attention. He stared at us for a few seconds before turning around and bolting. I can't say for certain if he was truly part of the group we are looking for or if he was just a petty criminal that ran at the first sight of cops. We were unable to confirm as the man got away."

"Alright good job, let's put another uniform up here just to be safe though." Atem said before looking back over at Yugi who was watching him with a curious look, a bit confused he gave a reassuring smile. Only to be more confused as Yugi blushed and looked away.

Yugi looked down at the man lying in the bed in front of him, he looked so frail, his normal jolly face was relaxed in the induced coma they had placed him in. He picked up the lifeless hand and held it in his own, it was cooler than his own and that made Yugi all the more determined to get him into that specialty doctor. Dark thoughts weighed down on his mind, the happiness he had experienced earlier was now gone. He glanced over toward the entrance where Atem and the idiot guard were talking and couldn't help but reflect on everything that had happened earlier.

He knew since that first night that he was painfully attracted to the tanned Egyptian detective but now he knew that it went beyond just a simple sexual attraction. But he knew he couldn't have that, everything was just too complicated to actually think about maybe having a relationship with this man. Yugi chuckled darkly to himself, just what was he thinking, a relationship, him in an actually relationship it was just hilarious to even think about it. He glanced over at Atem again, his slim but strong build that perfect tan, and those beautiful crimson orbs, Yugi was pulled from his trance when those orbs looked at him and a gentle reassuring smile crossed those lips. He felt his face heat up slightly and glanced back down at his only family left, that fragile hand that he was holding twitched slightly and gripped his hand reassuringly.

Yugi gasped as he looked at the hand that had just closed over his, "Grandpa." The hand gave another reassuring squeeze before falling silent again, tears stung Yugi's eyes, it was as if his grandfather had felt his turmoil and was telling him everything would be ok and not to worry so much. Yugi smiled; maybe he could do this, open up and have a relationship even in all that was going on.

Atem rolled over in his bed again, he couldn't stop thinking of everything that had happened today. The car ride home from the hospital was as silent as a grave and there was just no way to start a conversation in that suffocating atmosphere. Once they had gotten home they unloaded the shopping bags form the back of the car and brought them up to Yugi's room, he mumbled a quiet thanks and locked himself in there. He didn't even come down for dinner, Atem thought worriedly as rolled over again annoyed with himself. He was just starting to get through that armor of Yugi's, he was positive he had seen a glimpse of the real Yugi when they were talking and laughing at the mall, but since then he curled into himself again with a deeply thoughtful look on his face. Just the thought of that cold and uncaring Yugi again made him angry and with an angry growl at himself he sat up in his bed and threw off the sheets and made his way to the library, he'd read a book or something in front of the fireplace until he fell asleep. But to his surprise he wasn't the only one there.

Yugi was sitting in front of the crackling fire with a blanket wrapped over his shoulders to chase off any persistent chills of the late fall night. Atem watched for a moment as he took note of the glassy look in those amethyst eyes, before walking closing the door and approaching the other.

"What are you doing up so late?" Yugi asked as he felt the silent presence come up behind him, there were very few people that Yugi knew of that had such a silent approach like Atem did. Or maybe he was just overly sensitive of the handsome man. He smiled slightly at the latter thought, that very train of thought was one of the reasons that he was still up at two in the morning.

"Couldn't sleep, you?" Atem answered the question.

"Same."

"You mind if I join you?" Atem asked and at Yugi's nod of approval sat down next to the other. Yugi glanced over at his company and blushed a deep red as he noticed that they were dressed very similar, in the fact that neither one of them was wearing a shirt. Yugi couldn't control himself as his eyes took in every plain of the perfect man in front of him. His body was perfect, all lean and supple muscle under tanned skin, the planes and contours of that chest just begging Yugi to reach out and run his hand over it. His blush deepened as he realized what he was thinking and with some difficulty pulled his eyes away and down to the golden object in his hand. He reached for another piece of the puzzle as he worked it into its spot feeling the satisfaction of it sliding into place. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a small shiver go through his silent companion.

"Come here," Yugi said quietly and held out a side of the blanket, "Your cold." Yugi said as Atem gave him a confused look at his first comment. A smile crossed those lips as he moved over closer to the smaller male and under the warmth of the blanket, moving so he was directly behind Yugi and there bared skin was almost touching. Truth be told he wasn't actually cold, on the contrary he was too warm as he tried to control his thoughts of running his fingers over that pale skin and its slight curves that deceptively hid the toned muscles. He had thought he had hid his shiver of desire rather well but apparently he hadn't, he wasn't going to compline though not with the outcome it had generated.

"You've completed more of it." Atem said as he looked down at the now more than half completed puzzle.

"Ya, it's what I was working on when we got back; it was a good distraction after all that happened today. I've even translated the rest of the hieroglyphs, it was really interesting actually."

"That's good, he'll be okay, and we've placed another guard with him just to be careful though."

"That was probably a good thing, getting to my grandpa is really the only thing that they can do to get to me, it's almost guaranteed that they will try again."

"I'm sorry that you haft to go through all of this"

Yugi shook his head, the movement making the skin of his back brush against Atem's chest and he almost jumped at the sparks the contact that caused. "D-Don't be." He stuttered as he tried to gain his composer back. "It's not all bad, this whole incident had a few good points that out way the bad."

"Like what?" Atem asked curious as to the answer, from the brief stutter in Yugi's voice he was sure he wasn't the only one to felt that spark.

"Well, the cloths for one, I haven't worn something that I like in a long time." Yugi laughed a little.

"Anything else?" Atem pushed amused at Yugi's first answer.

Yugi didn't miss the curious push and decided he would teas the gorgeous man a bit, in his relaxed and warm state. "Well there's Joey, he came to see me earlier and we talked for a while, I really like him. He told me about the others too."

"Ya, Joey is defiantly something special, as well as the others, we all have something that's dark in our families or lives, so we've made our own little family."

"Like with Joey's drunk dad." Yugi said hesitantly.

Atem nodded, "Ya, we all have something and that's what makes us so loyal to each other, if one of us is in trouble then we are all going to be there to back that person up and protect them if we haft to."

"It must be nice to have a family like that." Yugi said a bit wistfully.

"You know they could be yours as well. You made an impression with them this morning they were all really curious to get to know you." Atem said.

"What! R-Really, but why, I'm nothing special."

"Oh little one, you are selling yourself short, there is much to like about you. Especially once you let down that armor you were around you." Atem said as he pulled Yugi a little closer to him.

"Hey, you're not much taller." Yugi retorted to the being called little, but there was a relaxed smile on his face making Atem laugh at the retort.

"True, but I'm still taller, now back to the previous topic, is there any other good points about the situation you're in?" Atem said tightening his grip in emphases.

Yugi let the playful pout go and a sly smile came to his lips as he thought. "No, I can't think of anything else."

"Are you sure?"

"Well…nope nothing." Yugi said and then tried to keep from laughing at the look on the detectives face before taking pity on him. "Oh, unless you count this bordering on illegally sexy man that seems determined to be my knight in shining armor."

Atem smiled as he wrapped his arms around the smaller males waist and brought him fully back into his chest, he almost moaned at the feeling of having the smaller body fit perfectly to his and the sparks that insisted on increasing at the contact. "Well," Atem said huskily next to Yugi's ear, he felt his blood heat at the Goosebumps that appeared and the small shudder that ran threw him. "I better make sure I live up as a knight."

"I-I n-never s-said it was y-you." Yugi stuttered nervously at the feelings running threw his body and jumped a little at the unexpected sharp nip on a rather sensitive part of his neck.

"Well if it's bordering on illegal I might just haft to arrest this other knight of yours." Atem chuckled wickedly as he tasted the skin of Yugi's bare neck. Working from below his ear to his shoulder he nipped at that sensitive spot at Yugi's pulse point and reveled at the moan that escaped from the other male. His hands couldn't stay idle anymore as they worked their way up that exposed chest, mesmerizing the lines of that small but strong and nimble body. He traced the planes of Yugi's abs and felt them tremble slightly at his ministrations.

Yugi was panting, the feelings that those larger calloused hands were stirring in him was torcher, he was in no way a virgin but he had _never _felt like this with anybody he had slept with. He placed his hands on Atem's thighs as an attempt to ground himself as he shuddered and a breathy moan escaped his lips when one of those talented hands skimmed over one of his nipples. He opened his eyes and was met with darkly colored crimson ones as his breath hitched in his throat, he suddenly wanted that mouth on his, to taste and be tasted.

Atem saw the desire in those heavily lidded dark amethyst eyes and he was not going to deny. The shock that went through them as their lips brushed was harsher than before and both of them stopped breathing momentarily. Before an uncontrollable need rushed threw them and Atem brought his mouth down roughly on Yugi's. His lips were soft as they met his with the same need and moved slowly in sync with his own. Atem slid a hand up to the side of Yugi's face as he asked for entrance and was surprised when he was given it hesitantly. Smirking into the kiss Atem slowly coxed the hesitant tongue to come out and play, and when it did Atem couldn't help but moan into the kiss.

Yugi was hesitant at first, he was no stranger to kissing, but kissing like this was defiantly knew, it was filled with passion and gentleness not the pure lust he was used to. There were feelings in this kiss and it made him nervous, but they were quickly dispelled by the gentleness of Atem's coaxing until he participated in the battle for dominance. He felt the moan from his partner and moved his arms up around Atem's neck to pull him in closer and deepen the kiss further. Atem eventually won the battle and was free to explore, finding all of those caverns that elicited those pleasurable noises from Yugi. He was so sweet tasting but there was a bitter darkness to level it out and make you addicted to the taste.

Finally forced to come up for air Atem pulled back, they gazed at each other with half lidded eyes that were dark with passion and lust. They rested their foreheads together as they tried to get their breath back, they both had a problem but they knew they weren't ready for that yet. If this was just a onetime thing then sure they would have probably gone all the way, but it was clear to both of them that this was not just a simple one time thing.

"You know, I had to let go my knight in shining armor, so there's a position open." Yugi said with an amused and contented smile on his face.

"I see, well then I shall heft to prove my worth." Atem joked back as he took those bruised kissed lips again, but this time there was no wild needs just gentle and loving want.

"N-no need, you have an impressive recommendation." Yugi stuttered as he felt his face heat up. "You've got the job." Atem smiled brightly before breaking out in laughter and pulling Yugi closer.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10 (I DO NOT OWN YUGIOH)

For once Yugi felt like sleeping in in the morning, today was a holiday for the museum so he had no work. When the light poring through his window along with the persistent growls of his stomach and need to empty his bladder finally forced him out of the bed, he felt lighter than he had in ages. There was a strange lightness to his steps and he was humming to himself while he was showering and changing the bandages on his shoulder. He was actually quietly singing as he got dressed in the new clothes that Atem had gotten for him, before heading down to the kitchen for breakfast. He wasn't even halfway down the hall when an outraged yell from Joey was clearly heard, followed by the light female laughter that belonged to Mia.

Yugi peered cautiously around the doorway before entering the battle zone that was the kitchen. Just like yesterday Joey was wrestling with Tristen and Tristen was winning but this time they also had Duke in the mix as well.

"So what happened this time?" Yugi asked Mia, and almost laughed as she jumped and spun around to face him.

"Yugi! Hun you shouldn't sneak up on people like that, and to what's going on those two dorks made some suggestive comment about Joey's little sister within his hearing range." Yugi laughed as he looked at the three rolling on the floor and Joey being effectively pinned to the ground by the other two. "My my, don't you look a little lighter this morning." She remarked as she looked Yugi over with a keen eye.

"I do?"

"Yes, you do. When you were in here yesterday you were like a ghost compared to how you are right now, your even talking voluntarily today. Did something happen?"

Yugi felt a light blush in his cheeks, "Nothing much, I guess I feel better with something nice to wear after so long." Mai gave him a sly smile with a knowing gleam in her eye.

"If you say so." Yugi took that chance to escape her all too knowing eyes and picked up a plate, loading it with bisects and sausage gravy along with some hash browns. Before setting the plate down and looking in the fridge for some sort of shredded cheese. He found it and sprinkled some over his still piping hot gravy, before replacing the bag in the fridge. Sitting at the counter out of the way of the still tussling men and enjoying the show, taking a steaming bite he savored the clashing taste of cheese gravy and bisects. A warm hand slipped around Yugi's waist startling him and dropping his fork with a clatter on his plate.

A warm chuckle sounded in his ear, "Good morning, Yugi."

"A-Atem morning." Yugi stuttered with surprise.

"Do you want something to drink?" Yugi shook his head, feeling tension in his neck; he rolled his shoulder and immediately hissed in pain as the stitches pulled with the movement. "You ok Yugi?" Atem asked catching the hiss of pain.

"My shoulders really stiff, that's all."

"Well why don't you try a bit of exercise it might loosen it up." Atem said as he sipped at his coffee.

"Ya, were all going swimming you should join us Yugi." Mia said.

"And were exactly are you swimming at?" Atem asked sarcastically.

"Well here of course." Mai said easily, noticing that something had indeed changed; something had changed between her stubborn detective and this quiet boy.

"Alright that sounds good, it'll feel nice to move around a bit." Yugi said quietly and enjoyed the rest of his breakfast and show as the three boys still rolled around on the floor, but Joey was outmatched.

It was lunch time when Yugi joined the others at the pool, it wasn't hard to find them, you just had to follow the laughing and shot s from Joey or Tristen. When he came out Mai was stretched out on a lawn chair sun bathing as the others played in the pool. Atem stood on the side of it still dry and laughing hysterically at something that just happened. Yugi guessed it had something to do with Joey as he was glaring at him.

With a mischievous smirk Yugi crept up to the man, he caught Joey's eye and held a finger to his lips, Joey smirked.

"Yo, Atem. You better take a deep breath." Atem stopped laughing to puzzle out what that comment meant, he didn't get to think long as a hand shoved him in the middle of his back sending him into the water. Atem resurfaced sputtering from the water that had gotten in his mouth, and turned his gaze from a laughing Joey to a hysterical Yugi who stood were he had been a second ago.

"So it's going to be like that hum." Atem said mock threateningly and climbed out of the pool. Yugi froze then ran from the soaking Atem. He jumped over several things and tried to stall his capture by evading the increasingly frustrated Atem. "You're like an eel, slipping just out of my grasp." Atem commented annoyed at being evaded so easily. Yugi smirked at the comment, but it was inevitable that he would be captured. Atem haled him over his shoulder like a fireman and carried Yugi over to the pool to be tossed in.

"Now that you're caught it's your turn to get soaked." Atem commented with his victory, he had Yugi and there was nothing he could do to escape.

"You should know that I don't like being captured, and if I'm going to get wet I rather it be on my own terms" Yugi said then did a move that normally would have over balanced the person carrying him dropping him to the floor and allowing Yugi to roll away free and unharmed. Thought in this case the move just toppled them both into the water, but he still got to here Atem's surprised cry for the second time. Yugi surfaced and shook his head like a dog shook his fur, Mai squealed as some water hit her.

"What the heck did you do?" Atem asked completely confused as to how he ended up in the water as well.

Yugi chuckled, "I said I wasn't getting wet unless it was on my own terms. My terms just so happened to drop you into the water a second time." He smiled wickedly and those crimson eyes turned a shade darker.

"Oh I got that but what did you do? I've never seen someone do that before can you show me again?"

"Maybe latter it's not a good move to do on concrete it hurts when you fall. But it's something I figured out a long time ago. It works well for us shorter people who tend to get picked up a lot to be subdued." Yugi commented then slipped back into the water wincing a bit as the chlorine stung his wound, but he quickly adjusted and swam around enjoying the time he had with the others as they joked and played. Atem announced he was going to go get hot dogs to grill for lunch and slipped into the house only to return with several packages and containers. Hotdogs, bread, several types of chips, potato salad, macaroni salad, a container of fresh mixed fruit, and of course the things that go on a hotdog. He laid it out on a granite counter in a grilling section near the pool it had a mini fridge stocked with soda, tea, water and beer. He grabbed a beer and began to start grilling the meat. The scent had Joey's stomach rumbling and his mouth complaining.

Atem laughed as he kept an eye on the cooking meet so it didn't burn when Mai came over.

"So what exactly did you do to that boy? He's not the same person I talked with yesterday." She commented as she also opened a beer.

"I don't know what you mean."

"Ah hn, sure hun. Seriously what happened? It was like he had steel armor on yesterday and today, well he's still armored but it's not made of steel anymore. It's…flexible I guess is the best word."

"I took him shopping yesterday and I'm not sure what did it but something cracked, I'm not sure when or how but I'm glad he's opened up a little. At the very least he's laughing and talking more openly."

"And joking, don't forget joking. Oh course, if I was the big bad detective and was caught in a simple joke like that I would want to forget about it to." She giggled.

"Lay off it Mai." Atem gave her a sour look but when it didn't faze her he rolled his eyes and turned back to the grilling meat.

Everyone ate there fill laughed when Joey overloaded his hotdog and a big glob of ketchup and mustard landed on his lap. Yugi had never had so much, well fun with so many people. And people that actually wanted to hang out with him and were having fun as well, it was a new experience and one he hoped he would experience again. He sat in a chair in the sun listening to the others talk as he was absorbed in his thoughts. It was a warm day for the middle of October but he wasn't going to complain, he yawned deeply and a few seconds later he had fallen asleep, lulled into it by the warm sun, the exercise and laughter. And for the first time in a long time he completely let down his guard.

Atem was the first to notice Yugi had fallen asleep, he smiled to himself.

"Looks like our new friend fell asleep." Duke commented and it caught everybody else's attention.

"It was probably the exercise, he's in great shape but he was shot a couple days ago and even light exercise can drain you afterword's." Atem said speaking from experience.

"You said you were keeping him safe, safe from what exactly?" Tristen asked, he liked Yugi and all the scars on his body worried him.

"Ya remember that humin traffican ring we were tracking down, Yugi escaped it. Got a good look at the head honchos new face as well, which means they'll be coming after him. Only one attempt so far and that was on Yugi's grandpa, if it was even them." Joey explained. Everyone was silent for a moment as they contemplated exactly what that meant and what Yugi had been through.

"You said earlier that you thought he was crazy because the day after he went to work. Which means he has a job and that means he wasn't captured for too long. If that's the case then what's with all the scars all over his body?" Duke asked and glanced back over to their sleeping friend.

Atem and Joey exchanged and uncomfortable look before Atem answered. "Look that's something he should tell you about himself. If you ask him he'll probably come right out and tell you like it's not a big deal."

"That's the problem." Joey said angered, "To him it isn't a big deal, and that pisses me off because to him those scars were part of an everyday thing and it didn't matter because it was normal to him. It pisses me off because it's not normal and no one should ever think it is normal." Joey crunched his soda can and tossed it into the nearby trashcan. There friends looked at Atem and Joey surprised, they had no idea what had happened in Yugi's life but by the way the two detectives were so rattled by it, it worried them.

Atem sighed and stood up, "I'm going to take him to his room so he doesn't burn sitting out here." They all nodded their heads silently there recent topic putting a dark cloud over them as they thought over what had been said then brooded over the knowledge.

Atem picked Yugi up and was surprised when he didn't even twitch, Yugi was always so aware of his surroundings unless he was deeply into his work. It took a moment for Atem to realize that Yugi had completely let his guard down around him and the others, Atem knew that that was a big step and in only a couple of days. He set Yugi down on his bed and covered him with a sheet he brushed a strand of stray blond hair of his face and was pulled in by the quiet beauty Yugi held. Unlike Atem where his was sharp and graceful or so he was told, Yugi's was quiet and because of that it easily was overlooked but it was there and it pulled Atem to him like a moth to the flame. He hoped even after this whole ordeal was over that he could still see Yugi and it wouldn't just turn into a blissful moment in time.

Atem had had enough of those quick dates and one night stands and hopeless relationships, and it surprised him that he thought like that. He had always been a bit of a player not nearly as much as his college years, but he was still a bit. He wondered briefly when it had become so boring and why he hadn't really noticed until now that it had. Things he should think over he supposed, he looked at Yugi again then leaned over and grazed his lips over his cheek, drinking in the scent of him and the warmth of his skin before he headed back down stairs. Completely oblivious to the intense blush on the very awake Yugi's face.

He had felt the gentle caress and it had woken him briefly but he had quickly fallen back to sleep then woke again only seconds later with the feel of those beautiful crimson eyes on him. It had been a struggle for him to continue to appear asleep, but he did, he wanted to see what Atem would do. He was both completely surprised and disappointed with the outcome. Surprised because he hadn't expected such a tender and, well, loving jester, disappointed because he wanted it on the lips. Yugi opened his eyes a bit and rolled them to himself, wondering when he had turned that gooey before shaking off the thoughts and returning to a light sleep. He would think about them later, he had the time.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11 (I do not own Yugioh)

Two weeks passed and nothing happened and Yugi almost completely forgot about his situation, Atem having a very big part in that. The detective had made some major inroads in his defensive armor, so had the rest of the people Yugi had come to know over the weeks. He got along particularly well with Ryo the Medical examiner, Yugi still couldn't figure out how the guy loved his job when it seemed to clash so extremely with his personality. Atem and Yugi's relationship had begun to become something more than casual and it only seemed to get deeper when they worked on the Millennium puzzle, like the ancient object was trying it's hardest to bring them together. Together they had completed just over three quarters of it, it was strange Yugi thought. Some of the pieces Yugi would try for hours to find a place for, then Atem picks up those pieces and finds it's spot in a matter of seconds, it baffled Yugi and made him even more convinced that the object had some sort of magic interwoven within it.

Yugi leaned back in his chair, looking at the popcorn sealing of the work room in the museum, Joey was again snoring and Atem reading a book as Yugi worked on the exhibits. He had a bad feeling, since this morning, a feeling that the peace he had been enjoying with the others was about to disappear. 'What was that saying?' Yugi questioned himself, 'all peaceful times must come to an end? No, that wasn't it but it was something along those lines.' Well Yugi was pretty sure something was about to end those peaceful times. He glanced at his companions and smiled when Joey snorted in his sleep so loud that it had him waking up all panicky then dropping back into sleep seconds later. Yugi shook his head, he was beginning to love the guy along with the rest of the goofy lot.

Turning back to his work station Yugi pulled up his email on the computer, finding several unopened messages, which was weird Yugi never had more than two or three messages in his inbox. He opened the one from his boss first, read the first line and cursed in Arabic, his boss wasn't at all happy with the two detectives hanging around the museum and was none to secretively threatening to fire Yugi if he didn't get rid of them. Yugi really couldn't understand what made his boss so nervous with the two detectives around, seriously he was a s jumpy as a criminal. Yugi narrowed his eyes at that thought, was there something his boss was trying to hide? Yugi thought over the artifacts and all the security he had to go through to get in this room, sure some of the artifacts were rare and could be profitable, especially in the black market but were they really worth all the security he has around them?

Yugi couldn't see that it was, and now that he was thinking along that path other things began to not make any scenes, he glanced around the room seeing bits of broken pots and scrolls then a few stone tablets from the Egypt exhibit and some ancient weapons. None of them really valuable, even though the clay pots were in really good shape for being so old, Yugi made a metal note to look into things later.

He turned back to the computer and opened the next few and found with baffled surprise that they were emails from the others. Mai, Tristen, Duke, and Roy, he glanced at his companions, Joey or Atem must have given out his email since they were the only others ones that had it. Yugi smiled and tried not to laugh at the silly little messages each one held before he saved the contacts. Then opened the last and gasped in surprise which made Atem look up from his book.

"What is it Yugi?" he asked coming around to look at the screen, Yugi's face was pale with shock and happiness along with sadness and fear. "Yugi?"

Yugi shook his head and reread the email, it was from one of his oldest colleges, and a friend to both Yugi and his grandpa, Professor Hawkins. "It's from a friend of mine." Yugi finally said when Atem continued to wait for some sort of answer. "He- he wants me to lead a dig in Egypt."

"Really, isn't that good?" Atem asked not sure if it was a good thing or not from the torn look on Yugi's face.

"Yes, and no. Hawkins has been a friend for a long time, he's been working on a theory for the longest of times and it looks like some of it is finally bearing fruit. He says that in the last dig he finally uncovered a stone tablet that backed up his theory and now he's got some serious support behind him. But he's too old now to be playing around in the sand and hot dessert sun, especially since the place there going to isn't the friendliest, the locals are nice but the outlands are riddled with grave robbers and thieves. He claims that he's too old to be fighting off criminals, so he wants me to take over his work. He says he doesn't trust anybody else to do it, anybody else he knows would try and take the credit for the discovery when all the work was done by Arthur. He knows I won't and that's why he wants me to do it. The excavation leaves in five weeks."

"So what's the problem, if your still in police protection going out of the country might actually be a good thing." Atem said still not understanding the look on Yugi's face.

"What about Grandpa, this dig won't be something quick, I won't be gone for just a week or two. I may be gone for months probably a year. With Gramps in the hospital and in his condition I can't just leave." Yugi argued.

"Yugi, I don't know much about your gramps except for what you tell me, but it seems to me he wouldn't want you to be stuck here when you can be out there living your life." Atem argued back gently. Yugi bite his lower lip and looked at the screen, he really wanted to go, it had been so long since he had been to a dig, much less in Egypt, he loved that ancient land. But his grandpa, he glanced at the screen again and thought about what Atem had said, he'd think about it and said as much in his reply email to Hawkins.

He was about to shut the window down when another email showed up, this one with the address blocked, which made Yugi weary. He clicked on it and jumped to his feet in horror, Atem swore and pulled out his phone calling the station and kicking Joey awake who caught up quick and called the hospital security. Yugi just stood there frozen as he looked at the screen, it was a picture of a hand with a syringe filled with a pale yellow liquid and Yugi's grandpa laying comatose in his hospital bed. No one needed to ask who the email was from it was perfectly clear that it was the people after him.

It was several minutes, at least it felt like it when the buzzing in Yugi's ears registered as words in his mind. Atem jerked his arm and made him face him calling his name harshly pulling Yugi from his frozen state. "Yugi, snap out of it and get your things were heading to your gramps." Atem said in an intense but calm voice, Yugi nodded numbly and gathered his things and followed after his guards and companions not even noticing when Joey and Atem placed him protectively between them. The entire way to the hospital he felt numb, only paying attention when the speed of the car slowed to something more legal. Atem was on the phone and talking calmly relief plain on his face.

"What is it, what happened?" Yugi asked, more along the lines of a demand.

"He's okay Yugi. Are men got to him on time and so did the doctors, he'll be okay with no lasting effects." Atem said and changed lanes in the directions to his house. "I know you want to see him, but with us heading there right after an attack could mean we walk right into one with you." Yugi frowned, he didn't like it, not at all but he also understood it. When he thought about it, if he insisted on going to the hospital and there attacked he would be putting both Joey and Atem in danger. And that scared him just as much and Yugi was sure, more, in the case of Atem. Ruefully he thought he was really falling and fast for the detective. "He'll be okay Yugi and well go see him in the morning."

"Alright." He said quietly and tried to sit back and relax, the stress headache forming behind his eyes was an unwelcome pain and distraction.

He found a better distraction when they returned to the big house, in the form of the puzzle, there was only eight pieces left and he was determined to put them in their place and finish it. His stress headache was still there but a painful haze in the back of his mind when faced with his concentration. There were only five pieces left when a knock on his door sounded, Yugi didn't answer trying to fit another piece in its place. The door opened and the silent approach that always came with Atem distracted Yugi momentarily.

"Yugi," Atem said then peered over his shoulder, Atem had found that whenever Yugi was stressed about something he worked on the puzzle, any kind of puzzle with a laser line focus. "It's almost completed."

"Here," Yugi pushed the puzzle to Atem, "that piece won't respond to me." Understanding, Atem leaned a hip on Yugi's desk and searched for the place the piece would fit. It took him under a minuet to place it, before he passed it back. Yugi took it and began to work another piece into place. For the next hour they sat in silence completing the puzzle both being pulled into the excitement of finishing it, when no one before had been able to. Atem passed it back and leaned forward as Yugi placed the second to last piece, the final being the tip of the pyramid, Yugi glanced excitedly at his companion and held out the gold pyramid. Atem smiled and placed his hand over Yugi's and picked up the last piece.

"Together." He said quietly, and with a warm smile they placed the last piece in its place, as if in response the object shined as they looked at its completed form.

"Congratulations, it looks like you inherit the Pharaohs fortune." Yugi said admiring the way the artifact glowed.

Atem laughed, "Yugi, the legend goes that the fortune goes to those that complete the puzzle, I didn't complete it. We did. Yugi, you inherit half of the fortune as well."

"What? Wait, I what?!" Yugi asked confused beyond repair. Atem laughed and repeated what he said this time with more detail. "What no, I can't this is your family's money."

"It may have been, but the contract of this inheritance says it goes to the one who completes the puzzle, it doesn't restrict to the family, half of the inheritance is yours, Yugi. No arguments." Atem said and tipped Yugi's jaw shut and cut off the argument. Yugi pouted for a few moments before letting it go when other more important thoughts interrupted him. With the inheritance, he could possibly pay for his grandfather's operation he glanced guiltily at Atem who was examining the puzzle.

"Atem…" he looked over and raised an eyebrow. "I was just wondering do you have any idea who much is in the inheritance?"

"The last I heard from my grandparents they said it was a couple mill, probably things are worth more now." Yugi almost choked with surprise that was more than enough to take care of his gramps. "But it will take a while to process and the paperwork to be completed, so with that in mind let's make a deal."

Yugi looked at him completely puzzled Atem had lost him, what did they need to make a deal about? "You want to use the money for your gramps operation right?" Yugi nodded. "Well then I'll pay for it." Yugi's pride and back went up at that almost making Atem laugh. "I pay for it, and when the paper work and things are done you can pay me back. The money from the inheritance probably won't be available for another year, and there's no need for you to wait. So what do you say?" Atem asked leaning closer to Yugi. Unable to contain himself he flung his arms around Atem's neck, overbalancing him tumbling them both to the floor. Yugi was almost on the verge of tears, he could finally take care of his grandpa. "I take it we have a deal." Yugi felt the rumbling laugh below him.

"Yes, yes yes yes! We have a deal. Thank you thank you thank you!" Yugi said so fast it sounded like one word. Atem smiled enjoying the rare childlike and carefree side to Yugi. He ran a hand into the wild tangle of spikes making Yugi look up. He froze, their faces were only centimeters away, Yugi blushed slightly at their closeness, sending a wave of desirable heat through Atem's body and making him very aware that Yugi had him pinned to the ground. More heat rushed threw him as he found he rather liked the position with Yugi, whereas he had never allowed it with anybody before.

Yugi's body heated when he saw the darkening of those crimson eyes and the slight hardness pressed into his stomach. Their position was embarrassing and intimate but Yugi couldn't find it in him to move, and he was positive that Atem didn't mind it at all. Atem smirked and moved the few centimeters' forward claiming Yugi's lips, they were soft and warm, and the heat between them sparked dangerously. Yugi let himself slip into the peace that Atem's kiss could bring him, but when it didn't move any further Yugi pushed a little demanding entrance which Atem willingly gave up. Yugi knew things were heading in another direction and quickly, and he had no intentions of stopping it.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12(I DON'T OWN YUGIOH)

Atem shivered beneath Yugi's weight and his demanding heat, feeling their tongues twist together and heat the kiss even further as they tasted each other and explored their mouths. Atem pulled back and bit Yugi's bottom lip getting a shudder from him which only sent blood and heat racing south. Atem ran his hands up Yugi's hips and slipped under his shirt feeling the flushed skin there and the firm muscle beneath it. Yugi shuddered then leaned into those hands as they danced along his skin teasing his nipples into hard attention, Atem enjoyed the way those deep amethyst eyes dilated and darkened. His breath caught when a quick sharp pain nipped threw his shoulder where Yugi had bit into him, then let his head fallback when Yugi began to trail open mouthed kisses down his neck and across his color bone. Atem hummed in pleasure pushing his hips upward grinding into Yugi's stomach. Yugi blushed deeply at the hardened length pressing against him, embarrassment and lust intertwining into an intense heat pulling him deeper into it. Atem pulled Yugi down and ravished his mouth and neck pulling a moan from him, his hands teasing moving his knee to rub against the inside of Yugi's thigh. Yugi's breath heaved out in a pant as heat claimed his body and traveled rapidly south, they both groaned in pleasure when they ground against each other.

Atem gripped the edge of Yugi's shirt and pulled it over his head, Yugi pulling his own off quickly after it, there mixed groans of pleasure split the air as heated damp skin slid across damp skin. Yugi nipped at Atem's pulse and had a growl coming from that throat before he found himself pinned on his back, Atem's muscled body pressing down on his and into the soft carpet of his floor.

"We should stop." Atem muttered the warning as he trailed kisses across Yugi's chest nipping at the pink buds of his nipples before swiping a tongue over them. Yugi's back arched into it like a cats and grunted a breathy and unconvincing affirmative. "If we don't I might not be able to stop." He warned again, it had been so long since he had had a partner, and even longer since he actually cared for that partner.

"I-I think we a-already passed that point." Yugi struggled to say over the pleasure clouding his mind, his legs spreading to allow closer contact with each other and there arousals to grind against each other's. "S-So stop with the warnings and enjoy it." Yugi concluded and brought Atem's arousing mouth back up to his feeling the amused but pleased smirk on those lips as he did so. Atem's hand slid away from the spot it had been resting on Yugi's hips to his covered inner thigh tracing teasing patterns against it and down closer to the goal, before undoing the belt and zipper and tugging them down. He smiled at the bulge entrapped by Yugi's boxers and winced a bit at blunt nails scrapping across his back from his teasing. His own arousal was trapped in the confines of his leather pants still, and pulsed with a painful heat, but he ignored it having way to much fun and pleasure from torturing Yugi and pulling out his desires.

Atem released his hold on Yugi's nipple where he had been working the skin till it was sensitive to even the gentlest of touches, and nipped Yugi's clothed erection. Yugi's closed eyes opened with a surprised yell even as his eyes darkened, Atem chuckle gaining an annoyed look from Yugi that only made him look sexy and a bit dangerous and Atem harden further. Yugi was annoyed at the constant teasing Atem was treating him to, it wasn't his usual way about sex. He and his previous partners never spent much time on the foreplay and Yugi had never really enjoyed it and it's slow buildup of pleasure and the pain that came with it. He couldn't say the same about his current partner, he didn't know why with Atem it was different, but he enjoyed it, maybe it was the fact it wasn't just sex between the two of them but something deeper. Either way though he was getting tired of being the only one teased to breaking point.

With sly slow finger Yugi trailed his hand up Atem's thigh as the detective straddled him, he had the pleasure of watching those crimson eyes go nearly black in the heat. Yugi toyed his fingers over the straining hardness confined in those leather pants that made his ass look so good. Atem growled deep in his throat at the teasing and bent to nip at Yugi's pules point as it jumped in response to the calloused hand snaking into his shorts and over him. Yugi's eyes nearly rolled back in pleasure but he used his hard learned control to anchor himself which he found only made the pleasure worse as he reached for Atem's zipper and slipped his hand into their depths. Atem's breathy hiss was accompanied by a rough thrust and grind into Yugi's hand and body as they both stroked each other till they were sweaty panting messes. Their hips grinding and pressing shamelessly into the others to increase the pressure and pleasure of it all.

"Off, get them off." Atem growled out, his pants were much too tight and his arousal much too hard to stay in there confines. With clumsy hurried fingers Yugi began to peel the leather away along with Atem's boxers as Atem worked on his own. Atem moved down trailing kisses down that heated body and his tongue over that hardened length, Yugi gasped and moaned his hips jerking upwards at the feel.

"E-Enough, s-stop the teasing and get inside already!" Yugi begged in desperation the pressure that was too much and too painful for him.

Atem chuckled, "As you wish." He whispered before slipping two fingers into Yugi's mouth to coat them in his saliva as he worked on Yugi's smooth skin of his neck nipping his ear lobe. When he deemed them coated enough he slipped one into Yugi moving it around to coat his insides and ease his passage. Yugi's walls clenched down and pulled him in further in eager anticipation, the feeling of being squeezed made Atem's erection twitch in eagerness. But he made himself go slow, he wanted this to be pleasant with as little pain as possible as he eased another finger in, he saw Yugi wince slightly at the added digit and set about distracting him. Trailing his tongue over the almost completely gone stiches in his shoulder were the new skin was overly sensitive, Yugi shuddered with a sinful moan his head falling back with a cry when Atem found that spot deep within him.

He pulled out and enjoyed the disappointment on Yugi's flushed face as he lay there ready for him panting in ragged gasps. "Relax." Atem muttered before pressing himself in quickly with a hard thrust of his hips. Yugi's walls clenched and his jaw tightened from the burning pain that threatened to split him in half but forced himself to relax. He felt the harsh shuddering from Atem as he forced himself to stillness as Yugi adjusted, his eyes closed in concentration muscles coiled in tension covered in a layer of shinning sweat as he trembled. Yugi felt fierce desire rage threw him along with mischievousness as he thrust his hips upward, and Atem's gave a hard answering thrust that had Yugi crying out and seeing starts as he scrambled for something to hold onto and ground him.

Atem cursed himself when he heard the cry having thrust harshly while Yugi was still adjusting and afraid he had hurt him until he saw the glazed dark look in those amethyst eyes as his slender hands scrambled for something to hold onto. Atem smirked and rocked his hips and Yugi cried out again in answer, his hands coming around Atem's neck and clinging there.

"Will you stop teasing, I can't take it anymore damn it!" Yugi half yelled half panted, obligingly Atem pulled out and snapped back in hitting the spot once again making Yugi go blind with the pleasure. Yugi monad and rocked his hips in time with the thrusts as Atem grunted in exertion and pleasure trying not to go fast for fear of losing the pleasure to soon. Yugi not satisfied with the pace encouraged him faster nipping him on the shoulder and wrapping his legs around Atem's hips for a straighter shot. Yugi cursed in frustration as he was nearing the end both simultaneously pleading for it to end and for it not to. "Faster, harder." He panted out weakly but was rewarded with a powerful thrust that only increased nearing them both to the end, there body's covered in sweat and burning in the need for release as Atem pumped into him gritting his teeth against the need. "A-Atem.." Yugi hissed out before he cried out with his release then jerked with another cry mixed with Atem's as his warm essence filled him.

Atem's arms collapsed from under him as he leaned against Yugi, there body's shuddering with the aftershocks of pleaser and exhaustion. Atem felt Yugi struggled to flip over before snuggling up against him before slipping into an exhausted doze. Atem laid there, mind in a hazy fog as the pleasure continued to course threw his body, it felt energized and exhausted at the same time. Getting his breathing and rapid heartbeat back under control he stroked a light hand over Yugi's lean body as it pressed against his own. It was beautiful and captivating, when he looked at the scars littering the body his heart squeezed in pain for the one lying beside him, and anger at the ones who did this to him.

When Yugi's light doze became a deeper sleep Atem lifted him into his arms and slipped him into the bed and climbed in beside him. If they both slept on the floor there backs wouldn't be too happy about it in the morning and he was enjoying this more as Yugi snuggled up beside him in a way that he wouldn't have if he was awake. Atem may have made some work on those walls around his heart but they were still there, and showing affection while he was awake was one of things he wouldn't do easily. It hurt at time but Atem was working on it, eventually things would change and be easier for the two of them. With a gentle kiss to his lover's forehead he slipped into his own sleep, completing missing the satisfied true smile on Yugi's lips as Atem's tense staring and thinking had woken him a bit. But he was content to slip back into sleep.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter13 (I DO NOT OWN YUGIOH)

Yugi nearly panicked the next morning when he woke up trapped in someone's arms, but thankfully his brain caught up to him before he did anything potentially embarrassing. Like jumping up in a panic and falling off the bed. But once memory and brain caught up to him he let himself have a few minutes of contemplation, he had slept with Atem, Atem had slept with him and if memory served correctly it was very satisfying for both of them.

Yugi shifted to get a better look at the man lying beside him in peaceful slumber, he remembered the last time Yugi had watched Atem sleeping. He had been just as beautiful and just as peaceful, that commanding authority that he always held slipped away in calming sleep but still held a attracting presence to it. Whispering 'look hear, look at me', and Yugi did, like a moth to flame he was attracted and caught. A painful thought followed on the heels of that, what if he got burned, what if now that they had slept together and each gotten what they wanted it would be over between them. A sharp pain lanced threw his heart making Yugi nearly cry out in pain. He did cry out when a strong arm snaked around his neck and pulled him back down to the mattress.

"Quit fretting, I worked hard to get you I'm not letting go so easily." Atem murmured in a voice made deep and husky from sleep. Soft lips pressed against Yugi's temple as he relaxed into those strong tanned arms and hard muscled body. It amazed him slightly that with those few words Atem had calmed the cold fear in his heart.

The two of them lay there enjoying the peace when a loud crash and surprised yell from Joey forced them out of there bed. Atem grabbed his jeans and pulled them on not bothering to button them as he grabbed his gun and slipped out the door adrenalin pumping into his blood at the possibility of being attacked. Yugi hesitated to follow but in the end slipped behind Atem to see what had happened, they needn't have worried it was just Joey being Joey. The blond detective laid sprawled on the floor in the library with books all over the place and one lying open over his face. And in the corner the gang was laughing hysterically, and in Ryo's case collapsed to the floor as he held his stomach.

"Do we even want to know?" Atem asked exasperated as he put his gun on safety.

Mai was the first one to stop laughing, "Well good morning hun, don't you look sexy." She commented with a sly grin. Pointing out to everyone that Atem was shirtless and his leather pants were barley staying on his hips from not being fashioned. Atem gave an annoyed look buttoning his pants and shoving his weapon in the waistband.

"I heard the crash and Joey yell, what else was I supposed to think. Yugi's in protective custody and his gramps was attacked last night, so forgive me for being on edge."

"Mai let it go, he's even more on edge because he just so happened to fall for our charge." Joey said finally moving the book off his face and body. "Mornin' Yami, Yugi. Sorry I disturbed ya." And with those four words Joey clearly told everyone in the room exactly what Yugi and Atem had been up to the night before. Yugi barely held back from turning beat red, if it hadn't been fot all his years of practice of keeping his motions hidden he wouldn't have seceded.

"So should I ask what happened in here or would I rather not know?" Atem said ignoring the looks on the others faces completely. Atem's question only sent them back into peals of laughter and Ryo fell to the floor again. Atem sighed and rolled his eyes to the sky saying an Egyptian pray for patience, "I'll ask later when you've all got yourselves under control, I'm taking a shower. Yugi did you still want to see your Grandfather this morning?"

"Ya, and if t's not too much trouble, could we may be set up for my Grandpa to be moved to the other hospital for his operation?" Yugi asked shyly, he knew he made that deal with Atem yesterday but he still felt like he was taking money from him, and he feared that things might change between them now.

"Of course." Atem said. They left the four laughing friends and a scowling Joey in the library to seek clean cloths.

By the time Yugi and the others who insisted they come along to meet the man that raised Yugi, got to the hospital it was nearly noon. And to everyone's surprise Seto was also there standing outside the door.

"What are you doing here cousin?" Atem asked walking up.

"I'm checking over the security, this may be a small branch of one of my hospitals but it's still a disgrace to have someone slipping through." Seto replied angrily.

"I didn't know you owned this hospital, I thought it was mostly games you worked with."

"Not completely, I have interest in a few other things as well, this is one of them." Seto said then glanced at Yugi before smirking. "It's been a long time Yugi."

"Since high school, I think." Yugi replied.

"It took me a while to remember you, you are not the same as before."

"A lot's happened since then. As you know my gramps for one." Yugi replied very aware at his friends all following their conversation closely. "I'll hopefully be moving him to the main branch of this hospital soon for surgery, things will be easier when I know he's alright."

"I'll make sure there's a room available for you, on the condition that you duel me, for old times' sake." Seto challenged.

Yugi laughed quietly, "Sure, but I don't know if I'll be as much of a challenge as I was before. As you've said I've changed and dueling's been one of the things I haven't done for a while."

"Because of her?" Seto asked, and Yugi's whole body stiffened. Atem could practically see the walls go up around Yugi's heart.

"It wasn't completely because of her." He said carefully, it was true that it wasn't all because of her but a very large part of it was.

Seto snorted, he also saw the change in his rival, "Ya right. Go see your gramps while I handle the arrangements to move him to the main branch." Yugi nodded his thanks and walked past the two posted guards and into the lightly lit room where his grandfather slept.

"He looks just like you Yugi, well if you were sixty years older." Mai commented trying to break the tense mood after talking with Kiaba.

"You think?" Yugi questioned. "He's the best parent anyone could of had, after what happened with my parents he raised me by himself, and I'll always love him because of that. I can finally get you out of here gramps." Yugi whispered the last part as he squeezed the old man hand.

"Soon he'll be up and about and we can have him tell us all of your embarrassing baby stories." Tristen joked lightly elbowing Yugi in the ribs with a smirk. Yugi grimaced at the thought of what those stories might contain. A few minutes later and Seto came back in with the doctor.

"So according to Mr. Kiaba your requesting your Grandfathers transfer to the main branch so he can undergo the required surgery and recovery." The doctor said in a matter of fact way.

"Yes, that's what is happening, if I can I'd like for this to happen as soon as possible."

"Yes, well I do have some concerns. As we have discussed before the cost of this procedure, transportation, and recovery will not be cheap. Do you have the funds to cover this?" Yugi glanced at Atem from the corner of his eye and got a slight nod and a pat on his good shoulder.

"Yes, I have recently come into a… inheritance of sorts so the cost will be of no concern." Yugi said and inwardly squirmed at the cost and the fact he hadn't really gotten the inheritance yet.

"Alright, if that is the case please look over this document and sign at the bottom. Mr. Mouto will be moved in the morning to the main branch and the surgeon there will call you for a conference."

"umm." Yugi said quietly but not quietly enough it seemed.

"Is there a problem?"

"Because of some circumstances you won't be able to reach me by the number I've listed." 'and because I have a crazy lunatic after me I can't get a new phone or give out Atem's house number, it won't be much of a safe house.' Yugi thought to himself.

"Have the Doctor contact me, and I'll pass the information along." Kaiba said out of the blue, everyone gave the CEO a look and he only 'humph' in return.

"Thank you Kiaba." Yugi said.

"Whatever, I still expect my duel." He said and placed his number down on the document before passing it to Yugi to look over and sign in the appropriate places.

"Alright then, everything is in order. I'll make sure he is well taken care of." The doctor said and left. Yugi smiled happily and picked up his gramps hand, only a few more days then you'll be good as new.

While Yugi and the others chatted excitedly Atem slipped out the door and his cousin followed. "That was kind of you." He said quietly.

"Well, I dough he even remembers but he helped Mokuba a long time ago and I owed him one. And besides, I get my rematch I've been wanting. What is it that you really wanted to ask me?"

Atem smiled at his cousins quick mind, "The surgery, I want you to hand pick those who are going to do it. Someone you know won't be bought or threatened to slip up in the surgery. Someone's already come after Yugi's gramps twice, and you and I both know that it's not impossible to slip a nurse or tech on their payrolls into a surgery. Yugi's been threw a lot and I don't want there to be another one."

Seto was quiet for a moment, "I'll take care of it. I know Yugi's been through hell, I think in a few ways I know more about what he's been through then you do." Atem gave him a look but Seto only shook his head. "Don't ask, he'll tell you if and when he's ready, and take my word on it to leave it at that. Tell him I expect the call in the next few days." Seto said and walked away leaving Atem incredibly curious, you don't just tell a detective something like that and leave it, it makes them all the more curious. Atem shook his head and stuffed the curiosity away he would take is cousins advice and wait for Yugi to tell him he sighed and went back into the room.

"Hey, Yaim where did you go?" Joey asked releasing Yugi from his headlock, who looked miffed and was fixing his hair back into place.

"Seto wanted to talk to me, that's all." Code 'not right now, moron.' Atem though as Yugi looked at him skeptically but let it go as Joey didn't ask any more.

"Alright, so who wants lunch?"


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14 (I DO NOT ON YUGIOH)

It was two days later that Yugi was scheduled to meet with the surgeon that would take care of his grandpa and it was the next day he was ushered into a thirteen hour surgery. The mean while Yugi was anxiously waiting for the results while working at the museum, he was completely on edge and Joey found his nerves amusing.

"Got a twitch there Yug?" Joey commented around a mouthful of a sandwich. Yugi's Arabic reply had Atem's eyes widening as he pounded at his chest after breathing in Mountain Dew.

"Yugi!" Atem admonished around fits of coughing.

Yugi gave him a rather unfriendly look, "Well it's the fifth comment like that, anyways his feelings aren't hurt." Yugi said acidly, did he mention his attitude wasn't the best at the moment because of his nerves.

"What, what did he say?" Joey asked not liking being left out especially since the two lovers were giving each other such intense looks. "Come on guys tell me!" he whined.

"Nothing!" they both said at the same time. "But seriously Yugi, you need to calm down, he's going to be fine. We'll leave for the hospital as soon as he's out." Atem reassured. Yugi only made a face that resembled an upset child before he returned to his notes. He muttered under his breath in Arabic as he scanned his notes then came across his little scribbled side note in hieroglyphics, he looked at it surprised not understanding why it was there. Then the part of his brain that translated the hieroglyphs kicked in and understood, it was a reminder to look into his bosses nervous actions and extreme security.

With his curiosity piqued he pulled up the list of artifacts that were coming in and out of the museum. They were scheduled to receive three statues of Anubis one made of pure onyx and gold, very valuable. He jolted down the information there then moved over to the list of artifacts meant to be moved on, several clay pots and weapons of Greek origin, he jolted down that information as well. He moved to the list of Greek artifacts on display and jolted down the information and compared the lists and something didn't match up. He checked the dates on several of the objects and they matched up. Several tapestries and a valuable painting were moved to display the same day that several clay pots also scheduled to leave the same day to a different location appeared suddenly on the books. Yugi took the number of the museum that the said artifacts were to go to and wrote that down as well.

"Atem, who handles smuggling and black market things in the department?"

"Another department, I have a contact there, why?" Atem asked but didn't get an answer as Yugi pulled on a pair of gloves and moved to several large clay pots sitting beside shipping containers. "Yugi what is it?" Atem asked again putting down his book and following his lover as Joey looked on from his seat. "Yugi?" he tried again but his lover was in that intense concentration that blocked out everything else. Yugi knelt next to a clay pot half his size and in very good shape, he squinted at it his face nearly touching it, then he gently rapped a knuckle on it. It made a muffled hollowed noise and Yugi's eyes narrowed.

"Get my bag." Yugi ordered, Atem made a face at the order but didn't argue and retrieved the bag, if it had been anybody else he would have said something rude. But in Yugi's case it was different, and he was sure he wasn't exactly aware of it either. He laid the bag next to him and Yugi took out a scalpel and dish and began to scrap off the chips of paint and clay into the dish.

"Yugi, what are you doing?" Atem asked surprised that Yugi was damaging an artifact.

"Shhh." Was the reply as he covered the dish and took out three more, one for each of the remaining pots. He scraped paint and clay from each and used a sharpie to mark which came from which, he gathered the dishes and stood heading over to another part of the room. "Watch the door for me." Atem wanted to ask but had the feeling he wouldn't get an answer, so he watched. Yugi searched the cabinets for different solutions and began to wet and separate them placing them on slides of glass, then under a microscope. His right hand groped for something on the table and recognizing the jester Atem retrieved the notebook and pen from Yugi's desk and placed it within reach. There was a mumbled 'thanks' then the quiet scratching of pen on paper.

It was like this for an hour Yugi doing the same several tests on all four of the samples, before he went back over to the pot's and tried to lift a lid from one and when t didn't move he grabbed another tool rom his bag. A thin long one that had a flexible blade on the end and tweezers in the other hand. He slipped it under the lip of the pot and pulled something from under it and dropped that into another dish and returned to his test with liquids and microscopes. He labeled them and safely stored them away in his bag along with his tools before going back to his desk and picked up the phone dialing a number he had previously written down.

"_Hello, this is the Curator of the East Europe National History Museum." _A Male voice said on the other side.

Yugi had to take a second before he forced his mind into English. _"Sir, this is Dr. Yugi Mouto from the Domino City Museum. I was calling to inquire about a few artifacts that were sent to you."_

"_Of course Dr. Mouto, may I ask which artifacts you are looking for."_

"_Yes, it says in my system that your Museum received three wood Egyptian boxes the last week. I was wondering if they have arrived there and been authenticated yet."_

"_Alright, let me see."_ The man said and the sound of keys tapping could be heard. _"I'm sorry Dr. Mouto but your system must be mistaken, we never requested any Egyptian artifacts in the last six months. And there are no records of receiving any wooden boxes or anything from Japan, let me call down to the work rooms they may have not entered them yet." _There was a click then Yugi was treated to awful holding music.

"Yugi what is going on?" Atem demanded again he had a suspicion of what was going on but wasn't sure.

Yugi opened his mouth to reply when the man was back. "_I'm sorry to say that there has been nothing of what you asked about coming through or from Japan at all in the last year. What is this about?"_

"_It is nothing to worry about, my system must be glitching, thank you for your time and help." _

"_You're welcome, have a good day." _And he hung up.

"Are you going to tell us now?" Atem asked again.

"Sorry yes. I thought about this the other day, my boss has always been an ass but his reaction to you and Joey being here was a bit extreme. And it got me thinking about his security, and how it's a bit over the top. And even though I have a doctoral degree in Archeology, he never lets me authenticate any of the artifacts, always has the interns do it. I only take care of translations of text and scrolls, if there something on an artifact that needs translating I always get pictures never the real thing. I just got me thinking that it was strange and so I looked into it myself and I found something off."

"And what is that?" Joey asked listening this time.

"That those…" he pointed to the clay posts with a pen, "are not artifacts, someone went through a lot of trouble to forge, document and make those clay works look ancient. But Ancient clay pots don't have spin wheel marks on them or Acrylic pain with an acid wash afterwards, or gorilla glue."

"There faked, but why?" Atem asked.

"The pots may be fakes but what's inside them is not." He pulled out two different dishes. "When I pulled out the slice of glue under the lid, I also accidently cut a bit of fabric on the inside. That fabric is made from woven goat hair died with natural accruing dyes, in this case indigo, just like a Greek fifth century tapestry scheduled to be put out on display tomorrow." Yugi pulled up a picture of the tapestry.

"But how are they going to show it if it's in a clay pot?" Joey asked confused.

"Exactly Joey, how will they when those pots are scheduled to leave in the morning."

"There smuggling artifacts out and replacing them with replicas." Atem said and pulled out his phone. "Good job Yugi, maybe you should give detective work a try."

Yugi laughed, "What are you saying I already am, I just do my work in the past not present." Atem smiled at that then began to talk seriously with someone on the other end of his phone.

Atem closed his phone and smirked at Yugi, "It seems you're not the only one that's been suspecting that this place has been involved with smuggling, my contact over there has been looking into it as well. He's meeting us as soon as your shifts over, he'll probably want your results and lab notes of what you found and he assures me that your name will be left out of it, so your job's safe."

Yugi snorted in disbelief. "He'll know right away who the snitch is, I'm the only one here that hasn't ever touched these artifacts until now. It won't be hard to figure it out from there but it doesn't matter."

"Why not?" Atem asked all curious.

"I've decided to go to Egypt, to accept Arthur's offer to lead his expedition." Yugi said quietly as he shuffled his things around and made copies of his notes.

"You have?" Atem asked surprised a whisper of sadness caressing his heart.

"Mostly, I-I was going to talk it over with you first." Yugi stuttered nervously pointedly not looking at his lover in the eyes. "I-if t-this thing between us is r-real, I d-don't want to just take off without hearing how you felt about this first. I-I mean I could be gone a long time." The sadness was chased away by a thick warm feeling as Atem realized he had made a major step in their relationship if Yugi was trying to work him into his life.

"Alright, why don't we talk about it when we get home, for now why don't we head to the hospital, your grandfather will be out of surgery soon." He suggested.

"I have another three hours of work left, but I probably won't have a job tomorrow so why not." Yugi replied cheerfully and packed his things, following the detectives out of the room.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15 (I DO NOT OWN YUGOH)

Yugi waited impatiently outside the surgery room, he should have been out by now, why wasn't he out by now?

"Relax he'll be out soon." Joey tried to calm his friend but it didn't seem to help. "You should be- he's hear." Joey broke off his tone turning cold and unwelcoming as he saw another detective coming down the white hall towards them. Atem pushed off from the wall where he had been standing, his lover's energy rubbing off on him and making it impossible to sit still.

"Detective Martian." Atem greeted curtly.

"Senna. Where's the information you promised." Martian demeaned, he was detective for the last five years, he was tall and well-muscled with dark brown hair and eyes, nothing special except his British attitude.

"I don't have it, my charge dose. Remember his name stays out of the report and papers." Atem stated cooly, but Yugi heard the underlying threat if his demands weren't met and shivered, he wouldn't admit it but he kinda liked that voice, it seriously was a turn on for him.

"Ya, I know the drill, what is it this time? Some petty drug dealer afraid he's gonna die because he rolled on his suppliers. Or a rape victim? You and your partner have got it easy over there." Martian's attitude angered Yugi, you didn't need much deductive skill to understand that this man though Protective Custody was a joke and easy job.

"Why I otta.." Joey mumbled under his breath."

"Then why don't you?"

"He's a captain, he's got rank behind him. He's higher up than us." Joey explained quickly.

Atem motioned for the other cop to follow, with anger still sizzling in his gut. He hated this man, always had he was pretty sure it was that there personality's clashed so extremely. He saw the instant Yugi's walls came up and a cold indifferent look claimed he's recently expressive face. He glanced at Martian and looked away effectively dismissing the man as unimportant, that made a smile come to Atem's face, especially when he felt the annoyance coming off the other in waves at obviously seeing the dismissal.

"Detective Martian, this is my charge Dr. Yugi Mouto." Atem introduced and looked skeptically at Joey and Yugi as he asked his partner a question.

"Is that why we're meeting in a hospital, he's a junky."

"No, he's not." Atem said rudely that anger in his stomach slowly building.

"Yugi, this is Detective Martian from customs."

"_He looks like a cave man."_ Yugi said speaking in Arabic and giving the newcomer an assessing look that clearly said he was about as important to him as a bug was. Atem tried not to laugh at the insult and baffled look on Martians face.

"He's not…I think." There was a glint in Yugi's eyes as he adopted something else, a bit of a foreign accent, almost a dead imitation of native Egyptians.

"Yugi here was born in Egypt, and prefers to speak in Arabic, but he can understand Japanese." Joey explained.

"Alright, well Senna here told me you have evidence that pertains to a case of mine. That you've run tests and found them false among some other interesting information."

"_Yes, I have. I'll get them."_ Yugi said leaving the man confused since neither Atem nor Joey bothered to translate both picking up quickly what Yugi was doing. He was purposely irritating the man, him not bothering to us anything other than his 'native' tongue clearly stated that the man wasn't important. Yugi gathered the copies of his notes and the results of his test along with the samples he had collected and labeled carefully. He handed the whole lot over to the man he didn't like.

"Are these your original notes?"

"_No." _ Martian at least understood that much.

"Would you give me them to me?"

"_No."_

"But they could be important to my case, the originals will be needed."

"_No, and I know they won't be, I have given you information that could help you in your case, and have checked with Detective Senna to make sure the originals wouldn't be needed. My notes are important to me, and should not be left in the hands of a Neanderthal."_ When he showed no understanding, Yugi let out a put upon sigh and gave Martian an irritated glare before turning to Atem. "Would you be so kind as to repeat what I said." He said this time in Japanese. Martian's irritation knocked up several levels at the blatant disrespect this kid was showing him. The irritation was turned into anger when Atem had translated and left nothing out.

Yugi was enjoying this immensely, especially when Joey seemed to enjoy this even though he didn't understand what was being said. Martian took the information with shaking hands from rage.

"_No wonder he's here for an overdose, the junkie's too arrogant to think he could be killed by illegals."_ He muttered in English.

_"Who said I was a junky, I'm here for my Grandfather." _Yugi said his eyes narrowing and becoming cold as he walked forward with such an intensely annoyed presence it actually made Martian take a step back. Most wouldn't think much of it but Yugi knew that it was an instinctual reaction when faced with a more dominate presence. "_Next time I'd watch who you insult; to think what these two do is a joke is a mistake I would suggest you don't make that assumption again. For you see, they are the only thing between me and the mafia at the moment, and in my book that makes them several steps higher than your cozy smuggling rings. So I'd think twice next time before insulting someone,_ Baka." Yugi turned on his heal and stood in front of the windows and smiled to himself when he heard the quick heavy steps retreating from the room. When strong warm arms twined around his waist and a warm body pressed up against him he leaned into it.

"_I don't think I've ever been so turned on before."_ Atem spoke huskily in Arabic and pressed himself harder into Yugi to make the point, as the bulge in his pants pushed against Yugi's backside.

"_I hate bullies and people who think there better than others, plus he insulted you and Joey, no one and I mean No one insults my friends."_ Yugi said and laid his hands over Atem's but pulled free when a doctor in scrubs came out with a smile on his face.

"Mr. Mouto has made it out of surgery with no problems; he's in a recovery room and will be there till tomorrow morning, he should be awake by then. I think he would be glad to see you when he wakes up." The doctor said then spoke to Joey about security details before leaving again. Yugi sighed and sagged into Atem relief and an unknown burden fell from his shoulders leaving him lighter and incredibly tired.

"Why don't we head home, it's late and it's been a stressful day. We'll come see him in the morning when he's awake." Atem suggested and Yugi agreed whole hearted.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16 (I DO NOT OWN YUGIOH)

Yugi would admit he felt great when he walked through the doors of his home, he stopped at that thought, when had he started to think of this place as a home? He honestly didn't know, was it just something that began to feel natural to him, like the way Atem's warm hand felt in his. Yes, it was time he finally admitted it to himself, he had fallen for the Detective, not just fallen but was possibly in love with him. It was an awkward feeling never having felt it before for someone else, and it was scary, what if Atem didn't feel the same and that scared him. And he still had his own secrets.

With that sad thought Yugi pulled out the dark cherry wooden box he had brought from his apartment. He hesitated to open it but he needed to, he could feel it in his heart, he needed to face it and move on. He opened the box. Inside laid a soft leather deck holder and dozens of more cards scattered at the bottom of the box along with a few medals and pictures. He looked at the picture of a younger him and a girl next to him with long brown hair and blue eyes. Anzu, that was her name Yugi remembered, he placed the picture back inside and closed it, he knew that Atem had been wondering about his past, ever since that day with Seto in the hospital and appreciated that he hadn't asked or brought it up at all. But it was time to come clean, especially if he was going to admit how much he had fallen for the other, taking a calming breath he went to Atem's room.

"Yugi?" Atem asked confused as his door opened and Yugi slipped in looking worried.

"Can we talk?" he asked hesitantly a box held in his hands. Atem felt his heart squeeze he felt the tension in the air and worried about what was so serious.

"Of course." Atem sat up alert, the sheets pooling around his body as he motioned for Yugi to join him on the bed. Yugi sat in front of him a wooden box in his lap. "Yugi, is everything okay?"

"You know your room always reminds me of Egypt." he said completely off topic, Atem wondered if he should reply to that and allow his lover the time to stall. "I'm stalling, I don't want to do that" Yugi continued saving Atem from the choice. "The other day Seto said some things, and I wanted you to know what he meant."

"The girl."

"Yes, the girl, her name was Anzu." Yugi said curling up a bit on the large bed and pulling out a picture of the girl from the box. "She was a friend, well I thought she was. We were in my senior year of high school. At the time I had already been nearing the completion on my Bachelor's degree online, my grandpa had signed me up for it in high school." He explained a little sheepishly when Atem looked at him surprised.

"She befriended me and I accepted it, I wasn't well liked and at first I was suspicious but she seemed to work her way in and we became friends. For three years we were close, it wasn't until a competition that I found out the truth. In school it was a bet she was completing, she had to try and befriend me before the year was threw. When I heard that I thought maybe it started out that way but if that was the case why stay friends with me after she had completed it. But I found out that she had turned it into a sort of business, she was selling information on my dueling strategies and the cards I had to my rivals. When I confronted her she just so happened to be in a meeting with one of my competitors, it didn't go well."

Atem stayed quiet but moved up behind Yugi and pulled him tightly into his chest feeling the tense muscles of his lovers back. "It's alright, tell me what happened?"

"He tried to rape me, both of them. Anzu gave me a drink while she tried to explain to herself to me, it was spiked. I should have realized it would be, but I was shocked and hurt I wasn't thinking straight. I was just barely able to escape, I couldn't go to the cops because I had no proof, and they wouldn't listen to me." Atem winced at that, he felt the anger and the shame to the ones who wouldn't listen to him and the fact they shared his profession made it worse.

" In the end I still beat my rivals ass in the competition, and afterwards I traveled with my mentor for hands on work. Nothing happened that day or the other times people have tried to force me but I thought you should know." Yugi finished softly. Atem frowned then took the picture Yugi held and ripped it violently before dropping it to the floor, then kissed Yugi roughly anger making it hard to be gentle.

"It's all in the past, I'm grateful you wanted to tell me, know that it changes nothing between us. It's in the past and there's nothing we can do to change it, and as much as I hate them for doing those things to you, I'm grateful. Grateful because it lead you to me, and now your here in my arms." Atem said at that moment Yugi felt something loosen in his heart, something he hadn't even realized had become knotted and frozen. Atem smiled also seeing that wall finally come down, he gently kissed Yugi's cheeks, Yugi only then realizing he was crying. To his horror he couldn't stop them, the silent tears just continued to come. Atem pressed a gentle kiss to Yugi's lips before looking him in the eyes. "You know, the crying you is adorable, but I think I prefer the cool and crafty you, or even better the angry you, as long as I'm not the one you're angry at." Atem teased trying to cheer up the person he truly loved. He was still fascinated by that emotion and at how strong it was, but he wouldn't trade anything in the world for it.

Yugi laughed and leaned into that strong comforting chest and inhaled that sharp scent that was only Atem's. "If were confessing turn-on's, then I'll say that that dark and dangerous voice you used earlier sends shivers down my spine."

"Oh, dose it now." Atem purposely said in that bordering on dangerous voice, right into Yugi's ear. Before he pressed a kiss to it then another one lower on his neck and lower on his pulse point nipping lightly.

"I-I believe I was trying to tell you about my past." Yugi shuddered as rough hands slipped around his waist and up under his shirt.

"What past, there is only the now and the further. I'm not sure about you but I like the now." Atem muttered between teasing kisses and nips.

"Ya, but… what was my point?" Yugi asked his mind fuzzing at the teasing hands.

"I don't know, why did you come to my room in the middle of the night?" Atem smirked and pulled Yugi in a slow building kiss. He nibbled on Yugi's lower lip and slipped his tongue past that barrier when it opened slightly. A moan came from Yugi as he leaned into the kiss and the heated questing hands. "I hope you realize what you've done." Atem said as they parted for much needed air. "Bringing up the way you put Martian in his place earlier just makes it all come back." He muttered darkly. Yugi shuddered at that deep voice, he wanted Atem he really wanted him right now, blood rushed south and heat pooled in his stomach at the thought. He shuddered as Atem's hand ghosted over his nipple.

"You know you should be careful, when you tease me." Atem stopped to look Yugi in the eyes at the comment, they were a dark nearly black color. Wondering what would happen Atem upped his teasing, he found out the results quickly. Yugi twisted in his grasp and shoved Atem down onto his back pinning a hand above his head the other trapped by Yugi's knee as he straddled his waist. Yugi immensely enjoyed the surprised look in those beautiful crimson eyes as he felt Atem struggle a bit testing Yugi's grip on him and the further surprise on his face when he found he couldn't escape. Yugi laughed a bit darkly as he lowered himself to kiss Atem's neck. "I think you've forgotten I'm not weak, despite my appearance. I'll have to remind you."

Atem's heart thudded loudly in his chest, part of him was unsure about the situation he had found himself in and another part of himself was slightly scared. Completely immobilized and at Yugi's mercy, he moved his wrist trying to free himself but Yugi only tightened his hold, before trailing teasingly slow kisses up his neck to his ear.

"I did warn you, did I not." Yugi said and trailed his free hand up Atem's sides feeling them quiver with the light touches. He nipped at the sensitive skin beneath him before pulling Atem into a heated kiss that left them both panting and hard. Yugi moved and pressed their hips together, freeing Atem's trapped hand. He shuddered as that hand traveled up his thigh and rested on his hip moving teasingly close to his own trapped erection then away again. Atem nearly cried out in surprise and pleasure when Yugi let out a low growl and ground harshly into him. Yugi trailed kisses down his chest teasing the muscles with the tip of his tongue, dipping it into his navel briefly as he moved his hips against him.

Yugi nipped the toned abs before moving back up, he wasn't shy in bed he knew but he had never been this bold either or thought he could enjoy it so much when Atem squirmed and struggled against his grip. With lust darkened eyes he moved back up that tanned chest flicking his tongue over the darkened nipple, working on it as he kept up a steady pressure with his hips. When he released his captive he was overjoyed to see him shuddering and panting harshly with need and desire. He trailed a hand over that dark sweat dampened skin and downwards before slipping into the black silk pajama bottoms and over the harden length hidden beneath it. Atem growled fiercely and tried to free himself as Yugi teased him mercilessly, Atem's free hand gripping his thigh harshly as he bucked beneath his tormentor. Yugi worked the black sleeping ware off slowly and no sooner had he removed them had Atem pulled forward and their positions switched.

Yugi had managed to whip Atem into a frenzy of sexual tension and lust, his eyes blood red and his breathing strained and ragged as he quickly removed Yugi's clothes. "You should also be careful, if you're going to torment me so you better not lose focus or it could back fire on you." Atem threatened and proceeded to show just how it could back fire on Yugi.

Though right before Yugi slipped into sleep he thought he wasn't sure it really had backfired, other than the fact his back was going to kill him in the morning. Atem pulled Yugi snuggly against him and buried his nose in Yugi's neck enjoying the scent and feel of his lover's skin slick with sweat and his body warm and loose and sated from there love making. If you could call it that, Atem thought sourly, thinking of the way Yugi turned him into a frenzy of lust, his mind had actually gone blank and when it had come back to him he was already buried within Yugi's heat and he was panting mewling mess beneath him. He couldn't remember quiet what he did but he was too wired to care.

Yugi let out a deep breath and leaned back into his arms before dropping off into sleep. Atem admired him a moment more before following him into darkness. When morning came Yugi was again the first to awaken, and he blushed red at the memories of some of the things they did last night. He didn't think sex with Atem could get any better, he was wrong. He also realized that they never got around to talking about him going to Egypt either.

"Good morning." Atem's deep voice said kissing Yugi's shoulder lovingly.

"Morning. I'd suggest a shower but I highly dough I can move right now." Yugi said quietly and felt the amused rumble from behind him. "Hey, you can only laugh because you're not the one in pain."

"We'll let that be a lesson on why not to get me so worked up."

"You seemed to rather enjoy it." Yugi mumbled quietly.

"Your right I did." Atem replied darkly kissing Yugi again before moving off the bed, Yugi took a moment to admire that fine body. Before he was surprised by being scooped up into a bridal hold and carted off to the shower. Yugi knew that is was only his already aching back that kept the two from playing waterworks in there. Yugi slipped his pajamas on and slipped quickly to his room to get dressed, remembering that he was going to see his gramps this morning. He grabbed a sleeveless black leather shirt that had buckles running across the torso and one around his neck then a pair of black skinny jeans putting on his double looped black studded belt a black leather strap around his right biceps and leather studded cuff on his left wrist. Before he left the downed a couple of pain pills before heading down for breakfast.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17(I DO NOT OWN YUGIOH)

"Yugi, morning." Roy greeted in the kitchen, lifting a glass in greeting.

"Morning, since you are all hear do you want to meet my Gramps?" Yugi asked easily.

"Oh, that's right, your Grandpa wakes up today. Is that why such fine attire, or is that for a certain detective hun?" Mai asked devilishly.

Yugi puffed up at that, "Neither, I just felt like wearing it that's all, I like this outfit."

Mai's eyebrows rose in surprise, Yugi was different, really different lighter and happier, she wondered what happened this time. "Well hun I'll tell you now you won't be the only one that likes that outfit either and I don't think they will be just women or gays, you'll turn a lot of heads in those clothes."

"As long as they and he realizes he's taken." Atem said coming into the room also admiring Yugi and his clothes before wrapping a possessive arm around his love. "Feeling better?"

"Ya, a lot. I think it's because of what we talked about last night and the fact gramps is going to be fine as well." Yugi said he walked to the fridge with a slight spring in his step, everyone there seemed to let out a collective sigh of relief, they may not all know the whole story but they all new something had been fixed in Yugi's heart. It made them all exchange similar looks except for Atem who was the cause of their little friends change in temperament. For once Joey was quiet over breakfast as the others all talked to Yugi and they joked about things, Joey smiled.

"What has got you so happy?" Atem asked.

"I'm not sure what you did last night and with that slight limp Yugi has I don't want to know, but whatever it was he's going to be okay. He's not boxing anybody or thing out, he's…free." Joey said feeling that that was the right word for this.

"We talked about some things last night and I think it helped a lot. I think he's accepted something's and I proved some other things to him." Atem smiled at Joeys grimace at those words. "Not like that." Atem said and elbowed his partner playfully who laughed then joined in with the others conversation.

Yugi shifted nervously in the elevator, he was excited to see his grandpa awake but he was also extremely nervous, what would his gramps say about his odd ball group of friends.

"Yugi relax, if he's anything remotely like what you told us he's like then we already love him." Duke said resting an arm over there nervous friend. Before Yugi wouldn't have even let on he was nervous about this but he was and Duke would be proud to say he's accepted them all as his friends and family.

"Ya well I'm still nervous. It's been nearly six months since I've talked to him in person. I worry what he'll say." Yugi replied then practically jumped out of the elevator and nearly ran down the hall to his gramps room, then froze outside the door. Atem smiled and rolled his eyes sky word and knocked twice on the door.

"Come in." a pleasant elderly voice said. Yugi nearly wept at the sound of his gramps, he slid the door open and peaked hesitantly inside. There sitting up and looking out the window was his gramps, awake and well.

"Grandpa!" Yugi said then nearly knocked his poor gramps over with his hug.

"Yugi! Oh Yugi you're alright, I was so worried, they said I've been out for six months." Solomon Mouto said and they babbled unintelligible things to one another. While the others waited politely outside even though Joey and Mai were sheading a few happy tears at the obvious love between the two Mouto's.

"Yugi, what happened to you, you seem different? Is it something to do with work I may have been out but I did hear you talking to me. You know you didn't have to turn down those offers to stay and take care of me, you should have gone." Solomon admonished.

"Don't worry it wasn't that, besides you always said things happened for a reason, didn't you."

"I suppose I did, but you never believed in that." He said back.

"Well, I do now. I've seen the silver lining, or more accurately it kicked my feet out from under me." Yugi said thinking of the first thing Atem had ever done to him. "I want you to meet some people." Yugi had to restrain himself from laughing at the completely shocked look on his gramps face. He waved the others in and they all crowded into the room.

"Gramps these are my friends. Joey."

"It's nice ta meet cha." Joey said proudly.

"Mai." She waved gently and said a hello. "Ryo." He rubbed the back of his head nervously then bowed and did a formal greeting. "Tristen."

"Yo, heard a ton about you."

"And lastly Duke."

"Oh, I think we've already met once before." Duke said to Yugi and his gramps, "It's nice to meet you outside of business." Duke said.

"And this is Atem, Grandpa, he's my boyfriend." Yugi said quietly taking Atem's hand and leading him closer. Yugi enjoyed the surprised look on Atem's face when he so easily claimed him as his boyfriend. The warm smile and gentle look in Atem's eyes warmed every inch of him as the hand he held moved to around his waist.

"It's nice to meet you I am Atem Senna." Atem bowed briefly feeling assessing eyes on him and a nervous flutter in his chest he didn't expect and wasn't used to. He chased bad guys for a living and he rarely ever felt nervous or scared, but this old man made him feel that odd sensation.

"Well I hope you've taken good care of my grandson since I've been away." Solomon said smiling cheerfully at the strong prideful young man bowing before him. He could see Yugi's nervousness at this meeting and from that he could see how much Yugi cared for this man. He wondered what it was about this man that had so obviously changed his grandson into his old self. Solomon felt guilty about that, he had watched the changes in Yugi and had been able to do nothing to stop it as he slowly closed out everyone and everything, building walls of iron around his heart. But this Atem had pulled them down and now Yugi had friends.

Yugi let out a sigh of relief when his Grandpa seemed to accept his boyfriend and the others. But to Yugi's horror and embarrassment his Garamps did indeed start telling embarrassing story's about him. There were things that he was never going to live down. Slowly everyone had to leave leaving Yugi, Atem and Joey with his grandfather.

"So can anyone tell me why both you young men are carrying several weapons and there are guards outside my room." Solomon stated, Joey and Atem exchanged astonished looks with one another. "Don't look so surprised I've had many years of practice to spot weapons as an Archeologist."

"Umm, ya about that. Don't get worried alright, everything's fine it's going to be fine." Yugi started then looked away when he was given_ that_ stare. "Ok see Joey and Atem there detectives with the police and there kind of looking after me right now."

"And why would they need to look after you Yugi?"

"Because I kind of saw the face of a mafia leader that was involved in human trafficking."

"Mafia!"

"Ya, they captured me and I escaped right as Atem was leading a raid."

"Captured, escaped, raid!" Solomon said panicky.

"Don't freak out everything's alright, calm down. I'm not hurt and I'm in protective custody while some people at the station are working on capturing him. I'm safe and the guards on your door are for your safety." Yugi explained quickly.

"Tell me everything." So Yugi told him everything, well almost. He left out the part about a bullet, he didn't need to know about that. By the time he was finished his grandpa had used up the remainder of his energy but seemed to accept that everything was okay. They talked about more pleasant things until he started to slip into sleep before saying there goodbyes and left.

"You left out a lot of the key details in your story Yug." Joey remarked as they walked out into the parking garage.

"He doesn't need to know about those yet, he just got out of surgery, he needs his energy to recover not worry about me. Besides-" Yugi's words were cut off by the squealing of tires and the loud bang of a gun.

"GET DOWN!" Atem yelled and both he and Yugi hit the concert before Atem rolled them out of the open and behind a car. Joey was across on the other side hiding behind a silver mustang. Several bullets hit the car Yugi and Atem had hid behind and hit the ground sending up sprays of concrete. When there was a pause in shots Atem peeked around the corner and spotted the SUV parked at the top of the hill.

"How good is your memory Yugi?"

"I'm have a doctoral I'm going to say it's pretty good." Atem smiled at the snippy reply.

"Then remember this…" Atem read off the description of the car and the license plate and other identifying marks. They were things he himself was trained to remember but having three heads remembering the same thing made it a little surer. Atem pulled out his gun, cursing at having left his phone in the car because they weren't allowed in a hospital. He shout a couple of rounds and they were returned, his mind registered Yugi's voice but didn't pay attention till the words 'hit the damn headlights!' caught his attention. He did and they were treated with the blaring of a car horn and muffled curses as the air bags deployed and hit their attackers. A second later the car sped away a few minutes later.

"Well that was interesting." Joey said coming to join them, "Well never thought I could say I had a shootout in a hospital parking lot."

"That's a new one that's for sure. They're getting antsy, they can't get to Yugi's grandpa anymore and I bet that the department is getting close to the ring. Last I heard they were able to track a few of the victims, they've got leads and are pursuing them. We're closing in, soon that bastered is going to be caught."


	18. Chapter 18

To a in regards to your last comment no I do not want you to stop reviewing or commenting I value every comment good or ill. I must have deleted it on accident and thats my fault so I'm the one that needs to please keep reviewing and enjoying my stories.

Chapter 18 (I DO NOT OWN YUGIOH)  
As soon as they got back Atem paced in the living room making calls and getting information and going over evidence and reports he had sent to him. Meanwhile Yugi shut himself in the library thinking about what had happened as he stared at the fire. It had started raining, in three weeks the dig was scheduled to leave, his grandfather was well and would be on his feet next week, and the Mafia was being surrounded and caught one by one, at least from what he could find out from Atem's small snippets of information.  
Yugi looked threw his deck, looking through the cards that each held a special place in his heart, a place he hadn't visited in a long time. He needed a distraction, and as if ready to provide one Mokuba came into the library and where ever Mokuba was so was his brother. With a little work he found Seto in his home office, he didn't seem very happy that Yugi had interrupted his work. That was until he held up his deck and duel disk in obvious invitation that changed the CEO's attitude completely. Seto led him to a large basement set up in the form of a dueling ring. That's were Atem Joey and Mokuba found them a few hours later, in the middle of a duel, with Seto down three thousand points and Yugi only twenty five hundred. Seto had his ultimate dragon out and Yugi his chaos mage. The three stood to the side and watched as Yugi strategically played and dropped Seto down to zero with his own points still at four hundred. Seto seemed annoyed but took his defeat gracefully.  
"In all my duels, you are still the only one I've lost to. But I will beat you eventually." Seto left after that glaring at the peanut gallery that had formed. Yugi smiled, duels with Seto were always so interesting, never the same and always the most challenging.  
"Well it seems your name really dose suit you. Seto was the number one ranked duelist in the world, until about five years ago someone beat him in competition and stole his king of games title." Atem remarked thinking of Yugi's names meaning, Yugi flushed and rubbed his head nervously.  
Mokuba laughed at his cousin, "I know you never duel in tournament Atem, but seriously you don't know who beat my brother." He laughed even harder as he thought about it. "It's even more hilarious because you know him." At Atem's continued blank look and Joey's joined in laughter Mokuba took pity on his cousin. "Yugi is the one that took Seto's title from him. Yugi is the King of Games, and you're dating him." He laughed harder this time gripping his stomach before following after his brother.  
"You moron, even I knew that, and no not from Kiaba telling me. I watched the duel on TV." Joey ruffled Yugi's hair. "I though you said you were rusty, if that was rusty I don't want to face you when you're not. Sheesh." He ruffled the hair once again getting a glare from Yugi this time. "So mister hot shot detective, what's it like knowing your dating a celebrity?"  
"I'm not, I'm dating Yugi Mouto not the King of Games. Besides that's not what we came down here to tell him." Atem said defensively, trying to get away from the fact he didn't know something so important about Yugi.  
"What did you come down here for?" Yugi asked feeling slightly bad about not telling Atem about that.  
"Besides to see the cause of the roaring, it was to tell you they have a solid line on those traffickers, Dedbler, the lead man that you saw is going to be there. There raiding it the night of the auction Friday, this time were not going to be late."  
"What! You're going?" Yugi asked as fear and panic coursed threw his system.  
"We have to Yugi, this man's hurt a lot of people, he's hurt you and as your friends and family we have to go and take them down." Atem explained seeing the fear in those eyes. "We will be careful, extra careful, we each have someone important to come home to." He lifted and kissed Yugi's hand. Yugi nodded his understanding, he understood it but something in him told him that nothing good was going to come of that night, and he had less than four days till they put themselves in the line of fire.

During those four days things began to get heated, and dangerous. They had been shot at twice and there was an attempted kidnapping one day wanting to use Yugi for leverage. They forgot though Yugi wasn't an easy target, and they ended up in jail with many nasty cuts and bruises and a few broken bones. Though it had nearly given Atem a heart attack, since he hadn't been there but at the police station getting ready for Friday night's raid, he insisted since then that Yugi carry his military issued knife with him at all times even at home. Yugi had it strapped into his boot like the sheath was made for and had it under his pillow when he slept alone and on the bedside table next to Atem's gun when he slept with him which was most nights since he had come clean to Atem. Yugi became antsier every day that passed, he recognized this feeling from past duels, this was the end game, and from the way it appeared it was going to be an all or nothing attack. To add the icing on the top of the cake it was rainy and gloomy all week long. What was worse was that Yugi was left behind to wait as Joey and Atem left for the raid, and the endless waiting and not knowing what was going to happen was what killed him, thankfully he wasn't left alone. Roy, Duke, Tristen, and Mai came to keep him company though they all could feel the wrongness of that night.  
Yugi had tried to stop it, had tried to get both Joey and Atem to see that something wasn't right. Something was going too smoothly, there was a trap or a mole or something, he knew this feeling when he dueled this whole thing was a setup, a trap. But they still had gone brushing Yugi's nerves away, saying they would call when they came out.  
So Yugi waited with the others as they watched a movie, a comedy since nobody could handle anything serious. They sat around the theater room eating popcorn and pizza while talking about stupid things, but Yugi wasn't there and they all knew it. He was there in body and he commented every once in a while about something said or a funny moment on the movie but he spent most of the time looking blankly at nothing and holding the completed puzzle. When the first movie was over and they began discussing another Yugi couldn't take sitting still any more.  
"I'm getting some fresh air." He announced and left the room. Duke exchange looks with the others.  
"I know we are all worried we always are when they go on these op's but this time it's different. And I think Yugi is feeling something that none of us can." Duke said.  
"I know what you mean. I feel nervous but it's like Yugi is dead sure this is going to end badly. And seeing how it's affecting him I can't really argue." Tristen said the others made agreeing noises and fell into silence.  
Yugi took in several lungful's of the cool rain scented night air, he had to get out of that room. He couldn't sit still he needed to move, so he paced in the gardens out behind the house. It took him a while to realize that something was wrong, there was a stillness in the air, an unnatural stillness. He scanned the garden carefully seeing nothing he looked back toward the house there was a quick glint of something then it was gone. It called to mind something rather old fashioned, when they used a mirror to signal something or someone. Yugi's eyes widened, it was a signal and he realized that fact a second too late.  
A hand clamped over his mouth, reacting on training Yugi shot an elbow back and into his attackers stomach before gripping the fabric and throwing him to the ground. Another pair of hands wrapped around him and he attacked those as well, but they were firmer and a third person appeared as he struggled, there was something shinny on his wrist but Yugi didn't see it clearly as he fought his attackers. He bit the hand covering his mouth before hooking a leg behind his attacker's knee and taking them out much like Atem had done their first meeting. Yugi moved backward putting room between them and him, he saw now that the shiny thing was a syringe filled with liquid. They were trying to drug him, again, the thought of how those drugs made him feel weak made him sick and determined not to get caught. But there were three of them and one of him, not very good odds as they surrounded him and backed him into a corner.  
Yugi growled his annoyance and prepared himself for attack pulling on all his knowledge of fighting. The one holding the drugs stood back as the other two attacked, Yugi moved attacked and blocked there moves while keeping an eye on the other guy. When blinding pain exploded in his shoulder where he wasn't able to dodge an attack aimed at his still healing bullet wound he stumbled. They took that chance and tackled him to the ground he tried to get them off him but they outweighed him by at least two hundred pounds together. He felt the prick of the needle in his bicep and fought harder to get away fear burning away at his mind as the blackness grew around him. He knew tonight was a trap, but it still wasn't for him, he wasn't sure how he knew but he did. It wasn't for him, but for Atem.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19 (I DO NOT OWN YUGIOH)  
Atem was happy with the outcome with the raid, thirty victims rescued, and just as many people arrested for participation and organization, but no ring leader and it wouldn't be over till the head bee was squashed. As he watched the people get put away into the back seat of cop cars, his phone rang, he saw the house number and wondered what was going on, they knew better than to call him while on an op.  
"I thou-  
"HE"S GONE!" Mai's voice yelled over the speaker gaining Joey's attention as well. "He went out to the gardens for some air and was attacked. They took him they took Yugi!" Mai's tears could be heard easily as she explained what had happened. The whole time Atem was cold, everything in his seemed to stop at those words. When Atem didn't answer Joey took the phone from his grasp and began to ask questions before hanging up.  
"We'll get him back, don't you think any different. Atem. Atem? Atem!" Joey yelled then slapped his partner across the face. When those crimson eyes focused on Joey's face he gripped his shoulders, "We will get him back. Mai said they left a note. We were partially wrong, it's not only Yugi they want, it's you as well. He wants revenge because of what you did to him, so when the mole reported that you two had gotten close they took him. Kill two birds with one stone and make each suffer from the others pain and death. Don't let him get to you, stay focused and let's get out little buddy back."  
" Yes, our right, but how?" Atem said rubbing his sore cheek slightly embarrassed at being bitch slapped by his best friend.  
"Well he wants you both and he wants it to hurt, so he'll get in contact soon." Joey said and the phone rang again, it was a blocked number. "See told you he would." He passed the phone back to Atem.  
"Where is he?" Atem demanded immediately.  
There was a laugh on the other end, "He's here he's just starting to come around, would you like to see him I'll tell you where."  
"Tell me." Atem growled and Joey put a cautioning hand on his shoulder. '_Don't let him get under your skin Atem_', he reminded himself.  
"That interfering blond detective standing beside you should come as well, then I can get both of you out of the way. Come to the thirty third and west where house district, building number two. If you bring anybody else or any weapons I'll kill him right now." To punctuate his threat was the cocking of a gun.  
"Fine, we'll be there." Atem hung up and knowing one among them was the mole stripped out of the op gear turning in there weapons and vests before getting in the car and driving to the location given. When they arrived the place light up with a few flood lights flickering, reminding Atem of a awful cliché movie scene. The ones were the damsel in distress was handed back safe and sound if the hero gave up something just as important, he had to stop the smile at the thought that Yugi would probably agree as well then be pissed off that in this case he was the damsel in distress. They got out and entered the place cautiously, as soon as the door closed behind them they were blinded by light and both of them were grabbed and restrained from behind.  
"Good of you to come." Dedbler said and dragged a furious Yugi with him as he struggled like a mad cat. Spiting and hissing curses and insults in several languages his struggles sometimes connecting. "Enough from you." He twisted Yugi's left arm harder, Yugi's eyes widened at the pain as he hissed more insults a dark brown stain on his white cotton button up becoming darker as his bullet wound was pulled open a little more.  
"Yugi!" Atem yelled and his lovers head shot up.  
"What are you doing here! Are you an idiot he wants you too morons." Yugi yelled at the two detectives.  
"We try to rescue him and all we get is insults." Joey made a joke of it knowing that Yugi was fearing for all of their lives and didn't want there's on the line.  
"Enough chatter, search those two, I doubt they came unarmed." Dedbler said and dragged Yugi closer. It was true several weapons were removed from their person the man searching Atem earning Yugi's ire from the way they were feeling his lover up, and rather boldly at that. "Tsk, tsk, I told you no weapons, now to pay the consequences. Tie them up." The two minions did as told and tied them and forced Joey and Atem to their knees. "Now for payback, I'd like to take my time with this but unfortunally you probably left a note for someone to your ware bouts and they'll be here soon."  
Atem narrowed his eyes, he was right he had left a note to a trusted college and it wouldn't take much longer for them to find it…hopefully. He moved his wrist and began to work on the ropes they were to tight but he had to do something to free themselves.  
"Well now let's start with the meddlesome blonde. It's because of you that your partner was in the right place and time to give me this little reminder." He pointed to his scar. "It's too bad you two were so good at your jobs, another time and another place I would have very much liked you two, oh well." Dedbler cocked the pistol and aimed, Yugi took his chance just as he fired twisting violently and sinking teeth into Dedbler's raised arm. Dedbler yelled in pain and ripped his arm away and backhanded Yugi so hard it sent him rolling on the ground and seeing stars. As he rolled he brought up his leg and slipped the knife Atem had given him in there. He was actually very glad now that he had forgotten about it when he had been grabbed earlier, it was coming in handy now, of course had he remembered it they might not have been in this position right now. Getting to his feet he tossed the knife a few feet away from Atem then concentrated on the two goons coming closer to him. Instead of waiting for them to get to him he rushed the larger of the two, he slid towards the man's feet like a baseball player to home plate. He went down as Yugi rolled away and ducked the others attack moving to a crouch and kicking out with his foot connecting with something boney that snapped under the force.  
Atem rolled for the knife while the confusion Yugi had created distracted them, hurrying he hissed as he cut himself as he cut his bonds, then ran to Joey and cutting threw his as well. They both ran for their respective weapons after being disarmed when a dry snap was heard and a yell of pain. Yugi had kicked one of the goons knees and broken it, Atem almost cheered for his lover, it was so easy to forget that that small and lithe body was all toned muscle. Joey jumped the remaining standing goon as Yugi took care of the other.  
Yugi looked up when a shot was heard and looked over to see Joey lying on the floor gripping just above his left knee as blood rapidly pooled on the floor. "Joey!" Yugi left the goon he was fighting on the floor and ran for his friend tackling the reaming man as Atem looked at his fallen partner. Yugi rolled with the man each scrabbling for the upper hand, the gun he had held had gone skidding when Yugi tackled him. Yugi tasted blood when he took an elbow in the chin and replied in kind with a knee to the stomach.  
Atem worked quickly trying to stanch the bleeding trusting Yugi to take care of their enemy. With blood slick hands Atem stripped off his belt and looped it just above the injury pulling it as tight as was safe to stop the bleeding and not cost Joey his leg. Joey cursed as he felt the chill of blood loss. When Atem had finished with that he looped Joeys arm around his shoulder and moved him some where he would be safe. They only needed to last a few more minutes, help would be there soon, just a bit longer. Turning back to the fight at hand he spotted Yugi on the bottom as he wrestled with the other man keeping the knife he held from making contact, but were was Dedbler? He saw Dedbler then he had moved away from the lights and was aiming at Yugi. Yugi reached groping for something, Atem saw the flash of silver before the blood splashed. Grabbing for his gun caching Dedbler's attention as he turned the gun towards Atem, Atem aimed and there was a resounding double crack.  
Yugi heaved the man off of him and looked pale as he realized he had just killed someone, he told himself sternly it was not the time to throw up as his stomach lurched threateningly. There was a crack of a gun and Yugi spun hearing the grunt of pain, Atem was kneeling in pain as he gripped his stomach. Dedbler was gripping his arm where Atem's hastened shot had only gazed its target.  
"What happened to being the tactical sniper, that was a sloppy shot. Oh, maybe it was because you were worried for your lover and partner. Well why don't I spare you that worry." Dedbler said tauntingly, enjoying the way Atem's face paled considerably as he realized he wouldn't be in time to do anything.  
"YUGI!"  
"ATEM, NO!" the pair yelled at the same time, there was another crack of the gun, then darkness.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20(I DO NOT OWN YUGIOH)  
Atem woke to the annoying rhythmic beeping and the burning sting that were the tell tail signs of the hospital. He couldn't remember how he had gotten there everything was so muggy and he felt fuzzy. There was a considerably painful weight in his heart and he couldn't concentrate long enough to figure out what it was caused by and soon the rhythmic beeping lulled him back into sleep.  
The next time he woke it was dark in his room there was still that annoying beeping and there were voices coming just to his left. "Has he woken up yet?"  
"No, he hasn't." Atem knew that voice it was one of his friends, Ryo's it was Ryo's soft voice and the others… He couldn't tell it was too hard to think to painful so he listened.  
"I don't want to be the one to tell him, he's going to freak, so I'm glad he's still a sleep." The mystery voice said.  
"He's got enough to handle when he wakes, let's try to put it off for as long as possible, it'll make it easier…hopefully." Ryo said, he said something else but Atem was being pulled under again. When he woke again he was truly awake, he still felt like he was floating a bit but he was finally able to focus on the words he heard last time he was conscious. Did they think he was still asleep, who was going to freak? And where was Yugi what happened to him, he couldn't remember what had happened after being shot the first time, everything was so fuzzy. What happened? As his mind roused even further he felt the tight pain in his heart and fear claimed his body.  
He forced his eyes open and had to close them to the light, even though it was still dark in his room and only a faint glow from the hallway lightened it. More slowly he opened them and glanced around, he must have made some sound because a slouched head of white hair moved then stood quickly.  
"Atem, thank god you're okay. You were out for days you lost a lot of blood and they had to rush you to surgery." Ryo explained everything but what Atem wanted to know most.  
"…gi" he tired but it hurt to breath and speak, his throat was dry and felt raw.  
"Here take a sip of water first." Ryo held a straw to his lips and he sipped the cool liquid, it felt like fire going down.  
"Yu..gi. Where is he, what happened to him?" Atem asked his voice a soft croak, he became more agitated the more he thought it was strange that Yugi wasn't here.  
"Easy Atem take it easy, you need to stay still." Ryo cautioned as he saw his friend becoming more agitated and restless.  
"Tell me what happened."  
"He's-"  
"You're awake." A voice said from the door way, and something in Atem released its terrified death hold as Yugi was leaning heavily in the door way. "You're awake." He said again quieter this time then he collapsed to the floor, his legs refusing to hold him up any longer.  
"Yugi. What were you doing you shouldn't be moving around in your condition, your still recovering." Ryo admonished and left the bed ridden patient to help lift Yugi from the floor and guided the shaky man to a seat. It was now that Atem took note of the bandaged wrapped midsection under the open light blue cotton sleeping shirt. Yugi let out a relived sigh and took Atem's hand into his shaking one, it was pale and his grip was much weaker than it should have been.  
"You didn't wake up, they said you should have woken up sooner but you didn't. You almost died, you took two-" Yugi had to stop as his voice broke a bit in fear relief and sorrow. "Two bullets in the torso. You scared me." Yugi said and unsuccessfully tried to keep the quaver out of his voice.  
"I don't remember much after the first bullet, just flashes."  
"That's completely normal." A doctor said coming into the room. "Dr. Mouto you may be a dr. but you are not supposed to be moving around your injuries aren't anything to sneeze at. What am I going to with you and Mr. Wheeler, neither of you are going to heal properly unless you get some rest."  
"Come on Doc. Give us a break, our friend almost died." Joey said also squeezing into the room on crutches. "Yo partner, in the future please refrain from giving me heart attacks, both of you." Joey said the last part while giving Yugi a dirty look, who actually looked sheepish. The doctor gave an exasperated sigh and began checking over the monitor and jolting down the information.  
"So how are you feeling?" he asked after he finished his tests.  
"Still a little floaty." Atem replied.  
"That would be the pain killers, and trust me when I say you'll be wanting to stay floaty the next few days at the very least. Now that you've all seen he's alright you two get back to your rooms and let him rest. You can talk to him in the morning." The doctor said and shooed a protesting Joey out and half carried an annoyed Yugi out the room leaving just Atem and Ryo.  
"He's right, get some more sleep, we'll talk more in the morning. I've got to go tell the others, there all worried about you. Get some rest." Ryo said and this time when Atem slipped into sleep there was no feeling of worry and he slept fitfully until the noises of hospitals woke him up the next day.  
The next morning he had everybody crowded into his room, Yugi and Joey escaped there shared room and had traveled into his and surprising him Solomon was also there walking easily like he had not just gone through a surgery after being on bed rest for six months. They all talked until like clockwork Joey's stomach growled and a nurse came to shoo them all out, except for Yugi who refused to leave and the nurse finally gave up.  
"So it seems everyone wants to not tell me what happened, will you?" Atem asked gently.  
Yugi made a face but finally spoke. "After that first shot he was going to shoot me as well but you jumped in the way, I'm not sure how you got there in time but you did. You took a bullet for me." Yugi squeezed the hand he held as he relived what happened. "After that well, I'm not totally sure what happened, Joey would be the best to ask for details. But he said I kind of went nuts afterword's and tackled Dedbler with the knife you gave me. We hit the floor and we fought, didn't think he could fight very well with his size, my mistake." He laid a hand on his stomach. "He got a good strike in with a knife across my stomach and side, but I was quicker." Yugi's face darkened as he hesitated to say anymore. "I'll just say he won't be bothering anybody anymore. After words I tried to stop your bleeding, Joey said I started to speak in Arabic, I don't remember but I have an idea of what I said. Anyway I wasn't much help I passed out from my own blood loss just as reinforcements got there. I woke up just as we were getting to the hospital, did you know you have that damn rare blood type."  
"No, I didn't." Atem said rubbing his thumb over Yugi's hand.  
"Well they need a donation so since I have blood type O I donated, then I got myself stitched up and found out Joey nearly lost his leg. The bullet just missed the nerves that could have left him crippled and I found out what happened to you… Ya, we were all a mess." Yugi said with a halfhearted laugh and gripped the hand he held in both of his bringing it to his lips.  
"What did you say to me? What is it that you think you said?" Atem asked.  
Yugi huffed a strained laugh, "I've wanted to say it for a while, but I was scared. Leave it to me to make my lover take a bullet for me before I finally say it. I love you." Yugi said those last words in Arabic.  
"I love you to, and you didn't make me take that bullet for you. Truthfully I thought it would be a bit longer before I managed to coax those words from you, so this is a pleasant surprise."  
Yugi smiled as a tear escaped, "Idoit, you stupid idoit." Atem reached over ignoring the throbbing from his wounds and pulled Yugi closer needing that contact. Yugi lifted his head and kissed Atem gently.

When everyone returned Joey told his side of the story, with few more added tidbits. Then he dropped the big news. "So the Chief contacted me yesterday and told me that according to code …um-" Joey paused as he tried to think of the code number than gave up. "Something about the conditions of are wounds has given us something to an honorary discharge in the military. Basically we don't have jobs and it's all because of some physical tests that we won't be able to complete any more. Its ridicules what are we gonna do all day now?"  
"Wow Joey that actually makes it sound like you enjoy work." Mai commented.  
"Hey I like work as long as it's something interesting." he defended.  
"I'm not sure about you guys, but now that this is over and seeing as I'm jobless I think a long vacation is in order." Atem said.  
"I couldn't agree more, but where?" Joey said.  
"Well I'm not sure if it's your thing but I have extra seats on the jet I'm flying out to Egypt on, if I decide to go." Yugi said.  
"That's right, your excavation expedition. It leaves… what day is it now." Atem asked having lost track of days.  
"It's Thursday the 15th. And it leaves in ten days." Yugi answered. "We should all be discharged by that time, and you guys could take it easy for a little while and recover."  
"I think I'd like that, it's been much to long since I've been to Egypt. This way I can also get the inheritance and the paperwork with that all out of the way." Atem said. That brought a whole new round of questions and planning. Yugi almost laughed at it; after everything they had just gone threw they were now sitting around a hospital room all banged up discussing travel planes and the best types of food. It was something Yugi could most defiantly get used to, especially if it was with these people and Atem next to his side. As if called by his thoughts, Atem laced their fingers together as they listened to the loud chatter.


	21. Chapter 21

Epilogue  
Yugi sighed with exhaustion as he collapsed on his fainting coach at the end of the kings sized bed. His leather bag hit the ground with a thud as he rubbed his aching stomach, he may have over did it this time. He scrunched up his face, it was much too quiet in the house, then he remembered that Joey and the others had gone sightseeing and Atem to see to a few final details regarding the inheritance, which this house was a part of, if house was even the word for the building. He sighed then jumped when soft hands brushed away hair.  
"Atem, you scared me. When did you get back?"  
"A little bit ago, I was downstairs and heard you come in, thought I'd see what you were up to." Atem replied in his deep voice.  
"As of right now relaxing, I think I over did it a little with the lifting." Yugi rubbed were the few reaming stiches and healing scar tissue was.  
"I though the doctor said give it another week before you started lifting heavy objects. You should listen to him." Atem scolded.  
Yugi gave him a incredulous look, "pot calling kettle black, who is it that's not supposed to be doing any heavy exercise yet, and I know for a fact that you weren't just floating in the pool outside." Atem smiled devilishly.  
"I'm bored I can't help it, I'm on lite duty for another week, then another week till I can do anything of real merit as I get back into shape."  
Yugi laughed and ruffled his lover's hair. "Did you fill out that paperwork yet?"  
"Ya, it's done in two weeks I'll have my privet security license and I can officially follow you onto the dig sites, not like I'm not doing that anyways."  
"Ya but this way it will be official, are you sure you want to do that? I mean wont following me around while I dig in the dirt and examine old things get boring to you after a while."  
"Not in the slightest. You forgot that's what I was doing when we met, at least this time I won't be stuck in a single room, hell even a single country." Atem said and nuzzled Yugi's neck as he laughed.  
"Alright, just know what you're getting into, you got over the wall but there's no way you're getting out." Yugi said and linked his arms around Atem's neck trapping him above him. "It almost seems perfect, you stuck following me as privet security and Joey stuck following Seto, though I think I feel worse for Seto."  
"He's not that bad." Yugi raised an eyebrow. "Ok sometimes he's that bad, but that was Seto's idea so he should be prepared for what he's in for."  
"I hope so, now care to join me for some water sport and further disobeying of our doctors' orders." Yugi teased as he slipped out from below Atem and made his way towards the bathroom, glancing over to see Atem's eyes had gone dark. With a thrill of excitement he headed into the bathroom turning on the warm water, it was technically considered exercise but it had been so long since they had connected physically Yugi was nearly crazy with sexual frustration. He laughed, before he could go months without sex, now he could barely go a day without touching Atem in the very least. He was very much at the end of his rope. He stepped into the warm spray and enjoyed the way his muscles loosened from the gentle heat, he relaxed even more when warm arms wrapped around him and a gentle mouth nipped at his shoulders.  
Atem enjoyed the naked press of flesh against flesh, the way there bodies seemed to mold perfectly into the others. He reached over for the liquid soap and began a gentle head message letting the water wash away the suds as they slid slowly down every curve of Yugi's body almost erotically. Yugi reached for the soap and did the same to Atem before he moaned as Atem rolled his hips into his backside pressing his erection into him. Yugi answered with his own hip roll then jumped when Atem's hands began to slick something cool over his body, he shivered as his soap covered hands brushed over his nipples where Atem teased them. He moaned and let his body go lax as it absorbed the feeling, finally having enough of being teased Yugi began to tease his partner, using the soap in much the same way but spent his time arousing the nether regions.  
Atem growled and nipped Yugi's shoulder before spinning him around and stepping into him, forcing him to sit down on the tile bench in the shower. Placing a knee in-between Yugi's thighs and leaned into him claiming his lips forcing himself into their depths and forcing the shudders and moans from him.  
"I'd hate to admit it, but I don't think I could do this standing up." Atem admitted before pulling Yugi onto the tiled floor and into his lap as the heated water pounded over them worsening the heat in their bodies. Yugi rather liked this position he thought as he faced his lover and rolled his hips grinding there erections together, in this position he could easily watch the way Atem's pupils dilated and darkened with pleasuer. He pulled Yugi into another kiss working his way along the jawbone then down the neck and shoulder to tease his nipple. The ponding water only helping his causes as it beat there sensitive skin and made each other wet.  
Yugi slipped a hand down and ran a gentle finger up Atem's length greeting a shudder from him and a thrust of his hips. Yugi let out a breathy whisper of Atem's name as clever slicked fingers began to probe his entrance, he needed no more encouragement as he slipped a finger in. Yugi's body shuddered and rocked with the feeling of being penetrated and the slick finger inside him. Atem rocked with Yugi's movements as he moved trying to get those questing fingers to go deeper to sate him. Atem made himself go slower to pleasure and properly prepare, Yugi made an impatient sound and nipped at Atem's heated skin, and traced the healing scar near his stomach and on his chest three inches from his heart. He placed his hand over that one feeling the strong frantic beat of it beneath the skin and not small and fluttery like it had been when he had tried to stop the bleeding.  
"Yugi…" Atem whispered quietly and placed his hand over Yugi's as he moved Yugi into an easier position before slowly sliding into his love. He watched as Yugi's eyes widened then went blind for a moment as a greedy moan escaped his throat. Atem smiled and gave a hard thrust with his hips as Yugi rolled his, the movements sparking deep heat and pleasure in them both. Yugi moved his hips a little harder and faster this time and was rewarded with an answering growl. They quickly established a rhythm that had Yugi panting heavily as that spot in him was assaulted with sweet pleasure as their hands remained over Atem's heart.  
Yugi let his head fall forward unable to keep it up himself as a tight rubber band coiled his insides and threatened to split soon. Atem gave a hard thrust and Yugi cried out feeling Atem even further inside him and a whole new wave of intense heat pulsed, made unbearable as Atem used his free hand to trail up Yugi's length. Yugi made a desperate sound not knowing whether to thrust forward into his hand or back, the indecision made a new and jerky rhythm that pulled them both closer to completion.  
Yugi forced a needy kiss that mixed there panting breath and the desire they each felt the need heightening the pleasure as the hard water spray pelted sensitive skin. Atem groaned into Yugi's mouth his hand moving from Yugi's member to his hip as he gripped tightly. There movements wild now as they rushed for the finish with muffled cry's and blunt nails digging into skin they both released. Yugi breaking the kiss to cry out as his body shuddered uncontrobly at the feeling of completion and being filled, there exhausted bodies slowly slid to the ground as they tried to find the energy to clean themselves up and move out of the shower. Yugi didn't know if they would make it, but he did know one thing, he knew he wouldn't survive without this strong and steady heart beat beneath him.  
"I love you Atem." his whispered.  
"I love as well, now the problem of getting enough energy to move." Yugi laughed and didn't make any move get up, he was much too happy at the moment, and was content to let whatever was to come next come later. Of course what could happen next was that Joey would come looking for them and find them like this, that embarrassing thought gave Yugi enough energy to pull them up and wobble into the bedroom.


End file.
